sphinx
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sphinx
(sfĭngks)n.
1. pl. sphinx·es or sphin·ges (sfĭn′jēz′)
a. Mythology A figure in Egyptian myth having the body of a lion and the head of a man, ram, or hawk.
b. often Sphinx Greek Mythology A winged creature having the head of a woman and the body of a lion, noted for killing those who could not answer its riddle.
2. pl. sphinxes A puzzling or mysterious person.
3. pl. sphinxes also sphinx Variant of sphynx.
[Middle English Spynx, from Latin Sphinx, from Greek.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Sphinx
(sfɪŋks)n
1. (Classical Myth & Legend) Greek myth a monster with a woman's head and a lion's body. She lay outside Thebes, asking travellers a riddle and killing them when they failed to answer it. Oedipus answered the riddle and the Sphinx then killed herself
2. (Archaeology) the huge statue of a sphinx near the pyramids at El Gîza in Egypt, of which the head is a carved portrait of the fourth-dynasty Pharaoh, Chephrēn
[C16: via Latin from Greek, apparently from sphingein to hold fast]
sphinx
(sfɪŋks)n, pl sphinxes or sphinges (ˈsfɪndʒiːz)
1. (Archaeology) any of a number of huge stone statues built by the ancient Egyptians, having the body of a lion and the head of a man
2. an inscrutable person
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sphinx
(sfɪŋks)n., pl. sphinx•es, sphin•ges (ˈsfɪn dʒiz)
1.
a. an ancient Egyptian figure of an imaginary creature having the body of a lion and the head of a human or sometimes an animal.
b. (usu. cap.) the colossal recumbent stone figure of this kind near the pyramids of Giza.
2. (cap.) (in Greek myth) a monster, usu. represented as having the head and breasts of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle, who killed wayfarers unable to answer the riddle she posed to them.
3. a mysterious, inscrutable person or thing.
[1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin < Greek Sphínx, Sphíx, Phíx]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. | sphinx - an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret |
| 2. | Sphinx - (Greek mythology) a riddling winged monster with a woman's head and breast on a lion's body; daughter of Typhon Greek mythology - the mythology of the ancient Greeks mythical creature, mythical monster - a monster renowned in folklore and myth | |
| 3. | sphinx - one of a number of large stone statues with the body of a lion and the head of a man that were built by the ancient Egyptians statue - a sculpture representing a human or animal |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
sfinx
Sfinkssphinx
sfinksi
szfinx
sfinksas
sphynx
sfinks
sfinx
sfinga
gåtasfinx
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
sphinx
n → Sphinx f
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995