Pronunciation: ' go ̇ r-d ē - ə n-
Function: noun
Date: 1579
1 : an intricate problem especially : a problem insoluble in its own terms ― often used in the phrase cut the Gordian knot
2 : a knot tied by Gordius, king of Phrygia, held to be capable of being untied only by the future ruler of Asia, and cut by Alexander the Great with his sword