資料來源 : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Medusa \Me*du"sa\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?.]
1. (Class. Myth.) The Gorgon; or one of the Gorgons whose
hair was changed into serpents, after which all who looked
upon her were turned into stone.
2. [pl. {Medusae}.] (Zo["o]l.) Any free swimming acaleph; a
jellyfish.
Note: The larger medus[ae] belong to the Discophora, and are
sometimes called {covered-eyed medus[ae]}; others,
known as {naked-eyed medus[ae]}, belong to the
Hydroidea, and are usually developed by budding from
hidroids. See {Discophora}, {Hydroidea}, and
{Hydromedusa}.
{Medusa bud} (Zo["o]l.), one of the buds of a hydroid,
destined to develop into a gonophore or medusa. See
{Athecata}, and {Gonotheca}.
{Medusa's head}.
(a) (Zo["o]l.) An astrophyton.
(b) (Astron.) A cluster of stars in the constellation
Perseus. It contains the bright star Algol.
Hydromedusa \Hy`dro*me*du"sa\, n.; pl. {Hydromedus[ae]}. [NL.
See {Hydra}, and {Medusa}.] (Zo["o]l.)
Any medusa or jellyfish which is produced by budding from a
hydroid. They are called also {Craspedota}, and {naked-eyed
medus[ae]}.
Note: Such medus[ae] are the reproductive zooids or
gonophores, either male or female, of the hydroid from
which they arise, whether they become free or remain
attached to the hydroid colony. They in turn produce
the eggs from which the hydroids are developed. The
name is also applied to other similar medus[ae] which
are not known to bud from a hydroid colony, and even to
some which are known to develop directly from the eggs,
but which in structure agree essentially with those
produced from hydroids. See {Hydroidea}, and
{Gymnoblastea}.