English Explanatory Dictionary

phenomenon

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A thing or being, event or process, perceptible through senses; or a fact or occurrence thereof.
  2. A knowable thing or event (e.g. by inference, especially in science).
  3. A kind or type of phenomenon (sense 1 or 2).
  4. Appearance; a perceptible aspect of something that is mutable.
  5. A fact or event considered very unusual, curious, or astonishing by those who witness it.
  6. A wonderful or very remarkable person or thing.
  7. An experienced object whose constitution reflects the order and conceptual structure imposed upon it by the human mind (especially by the powers of perception and understanding).

Pronunciation

/fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/ /fɪ-/ en-uk-phenomenon.ogg LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-Phenomenon.wav /fəˈnɑ.məˌnɑn/ /-nən/ /fəˈnɔm.ə.nɔn/

Word forms

phenomenon phenomena phenomenons phaenomenon phænomenon phainomenon phœnomenon

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂-der. Proto-Hellenic *pʰáňňō Ancient Greek φαίνω (phaínō) Ancient Greek φαινόμενον (phainómenon)bor. Late Latin phaenomenonder. English phenomenon From Late Latin phaenomenon (“appearance”), from Ancient Greek φαινόμενον (phainómenon, “thing appearing to view”), neuter present middle participle of φαίνω (phaínō, “I show”).

Synonyms

event marvel miracle oddity wonder legend phenom prodigy

Antonyms

noumenon thing-in-itself

Related words

-phane phene pheno- phenotype

Derived words

Baader-Meinhof phenomenon Bezold-Brücke phenomenon coprophenomenon doorknob phenomenon echophenomenon epiphenomenon Ferranti phenomenon fis phenomenon Gibbs phenomenon Holmes rebound phenomenon impostor phenomenon Jod-Basedow phenomenon Kamalanomenon Koebner phenomenon Kohnstamm's phenomenon macrophenomenon Marcus Gunn phenomenon Mariko Aoki phenomenon metaphenomenon microphenomenon nanophenomenon nutcracker phenomenon phenom phenomenal phenomenalism phenomenalistic phenomenally phenomenic phenomenical phenomenography phenomenology phi phenomenon protophenomenon QWERTY phenomenon Raynaud's phenomenon rebound phenomenon rocking horse phenomenon Runge's phenomenon small-world phenomenon Stein's phenomenon subphenomenon superphenomenon symphenomenon Uhthoff's phenomenon unexplained aerial phenomenon unidentified aerial phenomenon Will Rogers phenomenon windscreen phenomenon windshield phenomenon
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