What does Gordian mean?
What does Gordian mean?
intricate, complicated
Definition of gordian (Entry 2 of 2) 1 sometimes capitalized : intricate, complicated. 2 [New Latin Gordi us + English -an] : of or relating to the Gordioidea.
What is the metaphor of the Gordian knot?
The “Gordian Knot” is a metaphor for an intractable problem eventually solved by the ability to “think outside the box” to achieve success.
What did Alexander say when he cut the Gordian knot?
The problem of untying the Gordian knot resisted all attempted solutions until the year 333 B.C., when Alexander the Great — not known for his lack of ambition when it came to ruling Asia — cut through it with a sword. “Cheat!” you might cry.
How is Gordian knot used in a sentence?
To solve a notoriously difficult problem in a quick and decisive manner: “The president hoped that his bold new anti-inflation plan would cut the Gordian knot.” (See Gordian knot under “Mythology and Folklore.”)
Is Gordian capitalized?
Merriam-Webster lowercases “stoic.” Random House likes it up. It’s “Stygian” darkness at Random House, “stygian” darkness at Webster’s. The court can discover no bright-line rule. The mythic “Gordian” knot, named for the peasant king of Phrygia, is always capitalized.
Is the Gordian knot real?
Piotr Pieranski of the Poznan University of Technology in Poland and Andrzej Stasiak of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland acknowledge that the story of the Gordian knot is just myth. But entering into the spirit of the myth, they show how it would be possible to tie a knot that cannot be untied.
Where does the phrase Gordian knot come from?
The term “Gordian knot,” commonly used to describe a complex or unsolvable problem, can be traced back to a legendary chapter in the life of Alexander the Great. As the story goes, in 333 B.C. the Macedonian conqueror marched his army into the Phrygian capital of Gordium in modern day Turkey.
Is the Gordian knot a true story?
A Polish physicist and a Swiss biologist have used computer simulation to recreate what might have been the Gordian knot. Piotr Pieranski of the Poznan University of Technology in Poland and Andrzej Stasiak of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland acknowledge that the story of the Gordian knot is just myth.
How do you undo a Gordian knot?
According to legend, an oracle revealed that the knot would be undone only by the future master of Asia. Many tried, and failed, to loosen the knot until Alexander the Great found a way to undo it: he cut it with his sword.
Is the Gordian knot a myth?