English Explanatory Dictionary

sphinx

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
  2. A person who keeps their thoughts and intentions secret; an enigmatic or impassive person.
  3. A mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), formerly classified as a baboon, and called sphinx baboon.
  4. A sphinx moth.
  5. A sphincter.
verb
  1. To decorate with sphinxes.
  2. To adopt the posture of the Sphinx.
  3. To be inscrutable, often through silence.
  4. To behave in a manner characteristic of the Sphinx.
name
  1. An ancient, large statue in Egypt, with the face of a man and the body of a lion, lying near the Great Pyramids.
  2. One of the many offspring of Typhon and Echidna, a winged lion-like creature with a woman's face, who dwelt near the city of Thebes in Boeotia and terrorized travelers by posing riddles, killing those who failed to answer correctly; after Oedipus solved her riddle, she committed suicide out of frustration.
noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of sphinx (“a sculpture representing the Theban Sphinx”)

Pronunciation

sfĭngks /ˈsfɪŋks/ en-us-sphinx.ogg

Word forms

sphinx sphinxes sphinges sphynx spynx phynx sphinxing sphinxed the Sphinx

Etymology

From Sphinx, from Middle English Spynx, from Latin Sphinx, from Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), perhaps either from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “to squeeze, to strangle”) (whence also sphincter), of Pre-Greek origin, or from Egyptian Szp:p-A53-anx-n:x (šzp-ꜥnḫ, “divine image”, literally “living image”).

Synonyms

enigma the Great Sphinx the Great Sphinx of Giza the Theban Sphinx the Thebean Sphinx the Sphinx of Thebes

Related words

sphingal sphingian sphingine chimera

Derived words

Achemon sphinx Nessus sphinx satellite sphinx sphinx-faced sphinx-figure sphinx-form sphinx-guarded sphinxial sphinxian sphinxily sphinxine sphinxineness sphinxiness sphinxish sphinxishness sphinxity sphinxlike sphinx-lined sphinx-look sphinx moth sphinxoid sphinxy Tantalus sphinx tomato sphinx Virginia creeper sphinx white-lined sphinx sphinx
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