sea-monster

A form of sea monster — A large and aggressive creature of the sea that attacks ships.

Meanings

nounsea-monster (plural sea-monsters)

plural sea-monsters

  1. alternativeAlternative form of sea monster.

    With naked swords we slashed through the waves / ready with warblades for wandering whales / dark sea-monsters.

    1991, Frederick Rebsamen, transl., Beowulf: A Verse Translation, New York, N.Y.: IconEditions, HarperCollins Publishers, →ISBN, page 18, lines 539–541
    2 more examples

    To thee Poseidon, Lord of the sea, did Amyntichus give these his last gifts, when he ceased from his toil on the deep—his nets edged with lead that plunge into the sea, his oar still drunk with the brine, his spear for killing sea-monsters, strong lance of the waters, his weel ever betrayed by floats, his anchor, firm hand of his boat, and the flint, dear to sailors, that has the art of guarding the seed of fire.

    1916, W[illiam] R[oger] Paton, transl., The Greek Anthology (The Loeb Classical Library), volume I, London: William Heinemann; New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, page 319

    There are many references in antiquity to this story of an earlier Trojan War, in which Hercules, after killing a sea-monster and rescuing the princess Hesione, requested the princess as a bride in reward for his work.

    2016, J.G. Farrow, Introduction to Mythology, 3rd edition, Dubuque, Ia.: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, published 2017, →ISBN, page 131
Cite this entry
APA

sea-monster. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea-monster

MLA

“sea-monster.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea-monster. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sea-monster,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sea-monster.

Source: sea-monster on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.