Gorgon
adj, name, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A vicious female monster from Greek mythology with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. One of the three sisters: Medusa, Stheno and Euryale Greek
- 2 (Greek mythology) any of three winged sister monsters and the mortal Medusa who had live snakes for hair; a glance at Medusa turned the beholder to stone wordnet
- 3 An intimidating, ugly, or disgusting woman; anything hideous or horrid.
"I'll shrowd this Gorgon from all humane view."
- 1 Like a gorgon; very ugly or terrifying. not-comparable
- 1 Synonym of Demogorgon (“a pagan god or demon”). obsolete
"Uillain I tel thee, were that Tamburlaine As monſtrous as Gorgon, prince of Hel, The Souldan would not ſtart a foot from him."
Example
More examples""See, on the citadel, all grim with gore, / red-robed, and with the Gorgon shield aglow, / Tritonian Pallas bids the conflict roar.""
Etymology
From Middle English gorgon, from Latin Gorgō, from Ancient Greek Γοργώ (Gorgṓ), from γοργός (gorgós, “terrible”). Possibly from the same root as the Sanskrit word "garğ" (गर्जन), which is defined as a guttural sound, similar to the growling of a beast, thus possibly originating as an onomatopoeia.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.