hydra · name — A mythological serpent with many heads, slain by Hercules as one of his twelve labours. It carries an Arena rating of 1606, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, hydra ranks #189 of 17,145 for Most Storied Words, #285 of 17,166 for Most Vivid Words, #579 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #1,257 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words.
hydra is pronounced /ˈhaɪ̯dɹə/.
Why “hydra” is a great word
A mythological serpent-like monster with multiple heads that regenerate when severed, or a genus of small, tentacled freshwater animals notable for their regenerative abilities. From Latin Hydra, from Ancient Greek ὕδρα (húdra, "water serpent"), from Proto-Indo-European *údreh₂ ("aquatic animal"). Unlike the "dragon," a majestic, often winged and fiery beast of lore, or the "polyp," a general term for sedentary cnidarians, the hydra carries the specific menace of multiplication—heads upon heads, each wound birthing its own replacement. It is the swamp-dwelling terror whose necks sprout two more where one is slain, the translucent, ghostly creature in a pond that can regenerate its entire body from a fragment, and the perfect metaphor for any problem that multiplies as you attack it—nature’s answer to futility, writhing in the mud with ancient, undimmed hunger.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Latin Hydra, the mythical serpent, originally from Ancient Greek ὕδρα (húdra), from Proto-Indo-European *údreh₂ (“aquatic”). Doublet of otter.
name
- A mythological serpent with many heads, slain by Hercules as one of his twelve labours.
- A spring constellation of the northern sky, said to resemble a serpent. It lies just south of the zodiac and contains the star Alphard.
- One of Pluto's moons.
- One of the Saronic Islands in the Aegean Sea.
- A commune in Algiers Province, Algeria.
noun
- A dragon-like creature with many heads and the ability to regrow them when maimed.
- Any of several small freshwater polyps of the genus Hydra and related genera, having a naked cylindrical body and an oral opening surrounded by tentacles.
- A complex, multifarious problem or situation that cannot be easily and rapidly solved.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- hydralike 65% match — Resembling a hydra vs hydra →
- draconcopedes 62% match — A legendary being with a human head, and sometimes also human arms and a torso, and the rest of the body of a snake. vs hydra →
- dragon 61% match — A mythical reptilian or serpentine creature.; In European mythologies, a gigantic beast, typically reptilian with leathery bat-like wings, lion-like claws, scaly skin and a lizard-like body, often a monster with fiery breath. vs hydra →
- hydriform 59% match — Having the form or structure of a hydra. vs hydra →
- hydriad 58% match — A water nymph. vs hydra →
- hydros 58% match — transliteration of Greek ὕδρος, "water snake" vs hydra →
- dragonné 56% match — Like a dragon in the hinder part, and a lion or other creature in the fore part. vs hydra →
- dragonoid 56% match — A dragon-like creature of various kinds. vs hydra →