English
hydra
see also: Hydra
Pronunciation Noun

hydra (plural hydras)

  1. Any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera, having a naked cylindrical body and an oral opening surrounded by tentacles.
  2. (fantasy) A dragon-like creature with many heads and the ability to regrow them when maimed.
  3. A complex, multifarious problem or situation that cannot be solved easily and rapidly.
    • 2009, Kris Frieswick, [https://web.archive.org/web/20100915123817/http://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/till_death_do_us_pay/page2 Till Death Do Us Pay]:
      Because the statute is so vaguely worded, award decisions are habitually based on case law, the growing mountain of which is a hydra of rulings that point in so many directions that almost any decision can be defended or overturned on appeal, depending on how smart your lawyer is and which precedent he selects to argue your case.
Translations Translations
  • Portuguese: bicho de sete cabeças
Hydra
Pronunciation
  • (British, America) IPA: /ˈhaɪ̯dɹə/, [ˈhaɪ̯dɹə], [ˈhaɪ̯d͡ʒɹə]
Proper noun
  1. (Greek mythology) A mythological serpent with many heads, slain by Hercules as one of his twelve labours.
  2. (constellation) A spring constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a serpent. It lies just south of the zodiac and contains the star Alphard.
  3. (astronomy) One of Pluto's moons.
Synonyms
  • (mythology) Lernaean Hydra; Xiangliu, Xiangyao (Chinese equivalent)
  • (astronomy) Pluto II, S/2005 P 1, S/2005 P 1 (Hydra), (134340) Pluto II, (134340) Pluto II Hydra, Pluto II (Hydra)
Translations
  • French: Hydre de Lerne
  • German: Hydra
  • Italian: Idra di Lerna
  • Portuguese: Hidra de Lerna, Hidra
  • Russian: Лерне́йская ги́дра
  • Spanish: Hidra de Lerna
Translations Translations

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