What does "procrustes" mean?

A celebrated legendary highwayman of Attica, who tied his victims upon an iron bed, and, as the case required, either stretched or cut off their legs to adapt them to its length.

Procrustes

name

name ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Proper Noun

1
A celebrated legendary highwayman of Attica, who tied his victims upon an iron bed, and, as the case required, either stretched or cut off their legs to adapt them to its length. Greek

Example

More examples

"The comparison with the bed of Procrustes is suitable."

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Προκρούστης (Prokroústēs).

More for "procrustes"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.