Procrustes

[ proh-kruhs-teez ]

nounClassical Mythology.
  1. a robber who stretched or amputated the limbs of travelers to make them conform to the length of his bed. He was killed by Theseus.

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British Dictionary definitions for Procrustes

Procrustes

/ (prəʊˈkrʌstiːz) /


noun
  1. Greek myth a robber, who put travellers in his bed, stretching or lopping off their limbs so that they fitted it

Origin of Procrustes

1
C16: from Greek Prokroustēs the stretcher, from prokrouein to extend by hammering out

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Procrustes

Procrustes

[ (proh-krus-teez) ]


A mythical Greek giant who was a thief and a murderer. He would capture travelers and tie them to an iron bed. If they were longer than the bed, he would hack off their limbs until they fit it. If they were too short, he would stretch them to the right size.

Notes for Procrustes

A “procrustean” method is one that relentlessly tries to shape a person, an argument, or an idea to a predetermined pattern.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.