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# medusa

«medusa» in Mova's school dictionary: **Medusa was a monster, a Gorgon, with snakes for hair…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (Medusa – a name in Greek myth; a medusa, medusae or medusas – science)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (a name, Greek myth) Medusa was a monster, a Gorgon, with snakes for hair; anyone who looked at her face was turned to stone. The hero Perseus cut off her head. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#m1)

2) (science) A medusa is the swimming, umbrella-shaped stage of a jellyfish or similar sea creature. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In lessons on Greek myths, Medusa is one of the most famous monsters; Perseus defeated her by looking at her reflection in his shiny shield. Her image appears in art and on shields as a symbol of protection. In science lessons on sea life, jellyfish have a polyp stage (stuck to rocks) and a medusa stage (swimming bell). Phrases: «Medusa's head», «the medusa stage».

### examples

- Medusa had snakes instead of hair. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#x1)
- Anyone who looked at Medusa turned to stone. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#x2)
- Perseus used a mirror-shield so he would not look straight at Medusa. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#x3)
- In the myth, the winged horse Pegasus sprang from Medusa. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#x4)
- A jellyfish in its medusa stage swims by pulsing its bell. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#x5)
- The museum has an old coin with Medusa's face. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#x6)
- Medusae drift with the ocean currents. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#x7)
- Some later stories say Medusa was once a beautiful woman who was cursed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#x8)
- Seeing herself thus transformed into so repulsive an object, Medusa fled from her home, never to return. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/#x9)

### note

As a name it takes a capital: Medusa. In science the plural is «medusae» or «medusas». Pronounced «meh-DYOO-za». Myths are stories, not history. Not a maths word.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «medusa» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/medusa/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.