Gordian Knot Definition

gôrdē-ən

noun

A knot tied by King Gordius of Phrygia, which an oracle reveals will be undone only by the future master of Asia: Alexander the Great, failing to untie it, cuts the knot with his sword.

Webster's New World

Any perplexing problem.

Webster's New World

The legendary knot tied to a pole near the temple of Zeus in Gordium.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Gordian Knot

Noun

Singular:

Gordian knot

Plural:

gordian-knots

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Gordian Knot

cut the Gordian knot

Origin of Gordian Knot

From the name of a legendary knot tied to a pole near the temple of Zeus in Gordium. It was prophesied that whoever loosed the knot would become ruler of all Asia. Alexander the Great solved the puzzle by slicing through the knot and took it as a sign of Zeus's favor. He then proceeded to conquer much of the known world.

From Wiktionary