| medusa | 1. The Gorgon; or one of the Gorgons whose hair was changed into serpents, after which all who looked upon her were turned into stone. <zoology> Any free swimming acaleph; a jellyfish. The larger medusae belong to the Discophora, and are sometimes called covered-eyed medusae; others, known as naked-eyed medusae, belong to the Hydroidea, and are usually developed by budding from hidroids. See Discophora, Hydroidea, and Hydromedusa. <medicine> Medusa bud A cluster of stars in the constellation Perseus. It contains the bright star Algol. Origin: L, fr. Gr. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| Medusa head | Varicose veins radiating from the umbilicus, seen in the Cruveilhier-Baumgarten syndrome, dilated ciliary arteries girdling the corneoscleral limbus in rubeosis iridis. Synonym: Medusa head. Origin: Medusa, G. Myth. Char. (05 Mar 2000) |