kra·ken [krah-kuhn] n. ( often initial capital letter ) A legendary sea monster causing large whirlpools off the coast of Norway. A fabulous Scandinavian sea monster perhaps imagined on the basis of chance sightings of giant squids. It appears in literature in a poem of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s juvenilia called “The Kraken.” [Origin: “monster of the North Sea,” 1755, from Norw. dial. krake.] We… Continue reading Word of the Day: Kraken