hydra
[ hahy-druh ]
/ ˈhaɪ drə /
noun, plural hy·dras, hy·drae [hahy-dree] /ˈhaɪ dri/ for 1–3, genitive hy·drae [hahy-dree] /ˈhaɪ dri/ for 4.
(often initial capital letter) Classical Mythology.
a water or marsh serpent with nine heads, each of which, if cut off, grew back as two; Hercules killed this serpent by cauterizing the necks as he cut off the heads.
any freshwater polyp of the genus Hydra and related genera, having a cylindrical body with a ring of tentacles surrounding the mouth, and usually living attached to rocks, plants, etc., but also capable of detaching and floating in the water.
a persistent or many-sided problem that presents new obstacles as soon as one aspect is solved.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy.
the Sea Serpent, a large southern constellation extending through 90° of the sky, being the longest of all constellations.
Origin of hydra
1325–75; < Latin < Greek
hýdrā water serpent (replacing Middle English
ydre < Middle French < L); see
otter
Words nearby hydra
Example sentences from the Web for hydra
British Dictionary definitions for hydra (1 of 3)
hydra
/ (ˈhaɪdrə) /
noun plural -dras or -drae (-driː)
any solitary freshwater hydroid coelenterate of the genus Hydra, in which the body is a slender polyp with tentacles around the mouth
a persistent trouble or evil
the hydra of the Irish problem
Word Origin for hydra
C16: from Latin, from Greek
hudra water serpent; compare
otter
British Dictionary definitions for hydra (2 of 3)
Hydra
1
/ (ˈhaɪdrə) /
noun
Greek myth
a monster with nine heads, each of which, when struck off, was replaced by two new ones
British Dictionary definitions for hydra (3 of 3)
Hydra
2
/ (ˈhaɪdrə) /
noun Latin genitive Hydrae (ˈhaɪdriː)
a very long faint constellation lying mainly in the S hemisphere and extending from near Virgo to Cancer
Scientific definitions for hydra
hydra
[ hī′drə ]
Plural hydras hydrae (hī′drē)
See under hydroid.