Sphinx
See also: sphinx
Translingual
Etymology
From Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx).
Hypernyms
- (genus): Eukaryota – superkingdom; Animalia – kingdom; Bilateria – subkingdom; Protostomia – infrakingdom; Ecdysozoa – superphylum; Arthropoda – phylum; Hexapoda – subphylum; Insecta – class; Pterygota – subclass; Neoptera – infraclass; Lepidoptera – order; Glossata - suborder; Heteroneura - infraorder; Ditrysia - division; Cossina - section; Bombycina - subsection; Bombycoidea - superfamily; Sphingidae - family; Sphinginae - subfamily
Hyponyms
- (genus): Sphinx ligustri (type species), for the many others see Sphinx on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
References
- Sphinx (moth) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Sphinx on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
- Sphinx (Sphingidae) on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
English
Alternative forms
- Sphynx (archaic)
Etymology
From Middle English Spynx, from Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), perhaps from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “bind tightly, to strangle”). The appurtenance of Egyptian
(šzp, “image, statue, sphinx”) or
(šzp-ꜥnḫ, “living image”) remains unclear.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈsfɪŋks/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪŋks
Proper noun
Sphinx (plural Sphinges)
- (usually with "the") An ancient, large statue in Egypt, with the face of a man and the body of a lion, lying near the Great Pyramids.
- (Greek mythology) One of the many offspring of Typhon and Echidna, a winged lion-like creature with a woman's face, who committed suicide out of frustration after Oedipus managed to solve her riddles.
Synonyms
- (definite: large statue in Egypt): The Great Sphinx, The Great Sphinx of Giza
Derived terms
Translations
large monument in Egypt
|
Greek mythological creature
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
German
Etymology
From Ancient Greek Σφῐ́γξ (Sphínx).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /sfɪŋ(k)s/
Audio (file)
Noun
Sphinx f (genitive Sphinx, plural Sphinxe) or
Sphinx (sometimes in scientific usage with male beings/statues) m (strong, genitive Sphinx or Sphinxes, plural Sphinxe or Sphingen)
Usage notes
- Generally speaking, the word is feminine like its Greek etymon. The masculine is sometimes used in scientific usage when the being or statue in question is male. Since this is the case of the Sphinx of Giza, a hypercorrect belief that the masculine is generally more appropriate may exist in some semi-educated speakers.
Declension
Declension of Sphinx [feminine]
Declension of Sphinx [masculine (sometimes in scientific usage with male beings/statues), strong]
Latin
Etymology
From Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx).
Declension
Third-declension noun (non-Greek-type or Greek-type, normal variant).
References
- “Sphinx”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- Sphinx in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
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