Gordian

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Gordian \Gor"di*an\, a.
     1. Pertaining to Gordius, king of Phrygia, or to a knot tied
        by him; hence, intricate; complicated; inextricable.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     {Gordian knot}, an intricate knot tied by Gordius in the


        thong which connected the pole of the chariot with the
        yoke. An oracle having declared that he who should untie
        it should be master of Asia, Alexander the Great averted
        the ill omen of his inability to loosen it by cutting it
        with his sword. Hence, a Gordian knot is an inextricable
        difficulty; and to cut the Gordian knot is to remove a
        difficulty by bold and energetic measures.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Zool.) Pertaining to the Gordiacea.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Gordian \Gor"di*an\, n. (Zool.)
     One of the Gordiacea.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Gordian
       adj : extremely intricate; usually in phrase "gordian knot"