HYDRA (hydrae)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: hydrae   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Hydra mean? 

• HYDRA (noun)
  The noun HYDRA has 4 senses:

1. (Greek mythology) monster with nine heads; when struck off each head was replaced by two new ones

2. a long faint constellation in the southern hemisphere near the equator stretching between Virgo and Cancer

3. trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality

4. small tubular solitary freshwater hydrozoan polyp

  Familiarity information: HYDRA used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HYDRA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

(Greek mythology) monster with nine heads; when struck off each head was replaced by two new ones

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Context example:

Hydra was slain by Hercules

Hypernyms ("Hydra" is a kind of...):

mythical creature; mythical monster (a monster renowned in folklore and myth)

Domain category:

Greek mythology (the mythology of the ancient Greeks)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A long faint constellation in the southern hemisphere near the equator stretching between Virgo and Cancer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural objects (not man-made)

Synonyms:

Hydra; Snake

Instance hypernyms:

constellation (a configuration of stars as seen from the earth)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Trouble that cannot be overcome by a single effort because of its many aspects or its persistent and pervasive quality

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

we may be facing a hydra that defies any easy solution

Hypernyms ("hydra" is a kind of...):

problem; trouble (a source of difficulty)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Small tubular solitary freshwater hydrozoan polyp

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("hydra" is a kind of...):

hydroid; hydrozoan (colonial coelenterates having the polyp phase dominant)

Holonyms ("hydra" is a member of...):

genus Hydra (hydras)

 Context examples 

The system is located 31 light-years away in the constellation Hydra.

(Confirmation of Toasty TESS Planet Leads to Surprising Find of Promising World, NASA)

For the first time, NASA scientists have detected light tied to a gravitational-wave event, thanks to two merging neutron stars in the galaxy NGC 4993, located about 130 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Hydra.

(NASA Missions Catch First Light from a Gravitational-Wave Event, NASA)