Hydra (Noun)
Meaning 1
A long faint constellation in the southern hemisphere near the equator stretching between Virgo and Cancer.
Classification
Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made).
Synonyms
Meaning 2
(Greek mythology) monster with nine heads; when struck off each head was replaced by two new ones; "Hydra was slain by Hercules".
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- The Lernaean Hydra was a fearsome monster in Greek mythology that could regenerate its heads if any were cut off.
- Hercules' second labor was to slay the Hydra, a task that proved to be extremely challenging due to its ability to regenerate.
- According to legend, the Hydra was a serpent-like creature with nine heads, one of which was immortal.
- The Hydra's lair was said to be in the swamps of Lerna, where it terrorized the local population until Hercules arrived to defeat it.
- In Greek mythology, the Hydra was one of the many monsters that Hercules encountered and defeated during his twelve labors.
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
Trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality; "we may be facing a hydra that defies any easy solution".
Classification
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents.
Hypernyms
Meaning 4
Small tubular solitary freshwater hydrozoan polyp.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The freshwater hydra is a common laboratory animal used in scientific research.
- Hydra species are found in ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams around the world.
- In the laboratory, a hydra can be induced to bud and produce a new individual.
- The hydra's stinging cells, called nematocysts, are used to capture small prey such as brine shrimp.
- Hydra species have been extensively studied in the fields of developmental biology and regeneration.