Gordian

1. Pertaining to Gordius, king of Phrygia, or to a knot tied by him; hence, intricate; complicated; inextricable.

Gordian knot, an intricate knot tied by Gordius in the thong which connected the pole of the chariot with the yoke. An oracle having declared that he who should untie it should be master of Asia, Alexander the Great averted the ill omen of his inability to loosen it by cutting it with his sword. Hence, a Gordian knot is an inextricable difficulty; and to cut the Gordian knot is to remove a difficulty by bold and energetic measures.

2. (Zoöl.) Pertaining to the Gordiacea.

Gor·di·an
n.

(Zoöl.) One of the Gordiacea.

(GOR-dee-uhn)

adjective
Highly intricate; extremely difficult to solve.

Etymology
In Greek mythology, King Gordius of Phrygia tied a knot that defied all who tried to untie it. An oracle prophesied that one who would undo this Gordian knot would rule Asia. Alexander the Great simply cut the knot with one stroke of his sword. Hence the saying, "to cut the Gordian knot" meaning to solve a difficult problem by a simple, bold, and effective action

See what the Mathematical Association of America has to say about untying the Gordian knot: www.maa.org/devlin/devlin_9_01.html.