Procrustes
/proʊˈkrʌs.tiːz/noun
In Greek legend, a bandit who forced travelers to fit his bed, cutting or stretching them to match it; by extension, an arbitrary or ruthless standard.
Did you know?The Procrustes story became a lasting symbol of violent conformity, and modern math still uses a “Procrustes analysis” to describe forcing shapes into alignment.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek myth
Greek
Prokroustēs
“The name of a bandit who made victims fit an iron bed by stretching or amputating them.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
prokrouein
“To hammer or beat forward; a proposed source of the name, though the exact etymology is uncertain.”
Latin
Latin
Procrustes
“The mythological name was borrowed into Latin literature.”
16th Century
English
Procrustes
“Used in English as the name of the legendary bandit from Greek myth.”
Modern English
English
procrustean
“Describing a harsh, arbitrary standard that forces conformity.”