Gordius
/ˈɡɔːr.di.əs/noun
Gordius is a genus of horsehair worms, and Gordius was also the legendary king of Phrygia associated with the Gordian knot.
Did you know?The worm genus Gordius was named in allusion to the Gordian knot, because adult horsehair worms famously twist and tangle into dense knots in water.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Classical Anatolia
Anatolian?
Gord-
“The personal name’s deeper origin is uncertain and may belong to a pre-Greek Anatolian naming tradition.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Γόρδιος (Górdios)
“Gordius, the legendary Phrygian king connected with the knot at Gordium.”
Classical Greek
Greek
Γόρδιον (Górdion)
“Gordium, the Phrygian city associated with Gordius and the Gordian knot.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Gordius
“The Latin form of the Greek personal name, used in accounts of Phrygian legend.”
1758
Scientific Latin
Gordius
“Linnaean genus name for horsehair worms, chosen in reference to the tangled Gordian knot.”
Modern English
English
Gordius
“A taxonomic genus of horsehair worms; also retained in historical and mythological writing as the name Gordius.”