DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan
Me·du·sa n.
1. Class. Myth. The Gorgon; or one of the Gorgons whose hair was changed into serpents, after which all who looked upon her were turned into stone.
2. [pl. Medusae ] Zool. Any free swimming acaleph; a jellyfish.
Note: ☞ The larger medusae belong to the Discophora, and are sometimes called covered-eyed medusae; others, known as naked-eyed medusae, belong to the Hydroidea, and are usually developed by budding from hydroids. See Discophora, Hydroidea, and Hydromedusa.
Medusa bud Zool., one of the buds of a hydroid, destined to develop into a gonophore or medusa. See Athecata, and Gonotheca.
Medusa's head. (a) Zool. An astrophyton. (b) Astron. A cluster of stars in the constellation Perseus. It contains the bright star Algol.
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