medusa

‖n. [ L., fr. Gr. &unr_;. ] 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ pl. Medusae ] (Zool.) Any free swimming acaleph; a jellyfish. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ 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 hydroids. See Discophora, Hydroidea, and Hydromedusa. [ 1913 Webster ]

Medusa bud (Zool.), one of the buds of a hydroid, destined to develop into a gonophore or medusa. See Athecata, and Gonotheca. --
Medusa's head. (a) (Zool.) An astrophyton. (b) (Astron.) A cluster of stars in the constellation Perseus. It contains the bright star Algol. [ 1913 Webster ]