Procrustes

American  

[proh-kruhs-teez] / proʊˈkrʌs tiz /

noun

Classical 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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Procrustes British  

/ prəʊˈkrʌstiːz /

noun

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

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Procrustes Cultural  

1. 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.

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Discover More

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

Etymology

Origin of Procrustes

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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Procrustes

From sheer whimsicality, the mythical Greek giant Procrustes stretched short men out to fit a long bed.

From Time Magazine Archive

“But who can pronounce Procrustes? Bad for business. Now ‘Crusty,’ anybody can say that.”

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Critic, more cruel than Procrustes old, Who to his iron bed by torture fits Their nobler parts, the souls of suffering wits.

From Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama A Revised American Edition of the Reader's Handbook, Vol. 3 by Ebenezer Cobham Brewer

Procrustes had the calm judicial mind of the Court of Appeal, and within his narrow limits knew exactly what he wanted to do and how to do it.

From The Law and the Poor by Edward Abbott Parry

Now, my dear young friend," said Procrustes, "I pray you to lie down and take your ease; for I know that you have traveled far and are faint from want of rest and sleep.

From Old Greek Stories by James Baldwin

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