gorgon means like a gorgon; very ugly or terrifying. It carries an Arena rating of 1596, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, gorgon ranks #64 of 17,118 for Scariest Words, #98 of 17,115 for Most Vivid Words, #199 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words, #508 of 17,111 for Most Sublime Words.
gorgon is pronounced /ˈɡɔːrɡən/.
Why “gorgon” is a great word
A monstrous female creature of Greek myth, notably Medusa, whose gaze could turn onlookers to stone, or by extension, a terrifying or repulsive woman. From Middle English *gorgon*, from Latin *Gorgō*, from Ancient Greek Γοργώ (*Gorgṓ*), from γοργός (*gorgós*, "terrible, dreadful"), first attested in English in the late 14th century. Unlike a "harpy," which suggests a rapacious, snatching predator of the storm-winds, or an "ogress," a crude giantess of folktale cruelty, the gorgon embodies a specific and paralyzing horror. She is the hiss of serpentine hair in a darkened temple, the unbearable sight that stops the heart and calcifies the blood, the face one must never meet directly—the terror of being known, and frozen, by what you see.
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.
adj
- Like a gorgon; very ugly or terrifying.
name
- Synonym of Demogorgon (“a pagan god or demon”).
noun
- 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
- An intimidating, ugly, or disgusting woman; anything hideous or horrid.e.g.“I'll shrowd this Gorgon from all humane view.”
Words closest in meaning
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