Definitions for Sphinx
sfɪŋks; ˈsfɪn dʒizsphinx

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sphinxnoun

   an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret

2. Sphinxnoun

   (Greek mythology) a riddling winged monster with a woman's head and breast on a lion's body; daughter of Typhon

3. sphinxnoun

   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

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sphinxnoun

   A creature with the head of a human and the body of an animal (commonly a lion).

2. sphinxnoun

   A person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret.

3. sphinxnoun

   A sphincter.

4. sphinxverb

   To decorate with sphinxes

   a marble sphinxed chimney-piece

5. sphinxverb

   To adopt the posture of the Sphinx

6. sphinxverb

   To be inscrutable, often through silence

7. sphinxverb

   To make one guess at the unknowable

8. sphinxverb

   To befuddle

9. sphinxverb

   For the feminine to co-opt, dominate, or devour the masculine, especially from a paranoid fear of this happening

10. Sphinxnoun

    An ancient, large statue in Egypt, with the face of a man and the body of a lion, lying near the Great Pyramids.

11. Sphinxnoun

    The demon of destruction and bad luck in Greek mythology.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sphinxnoun

   The sphinx was a famous monster in Egypt, that remained by conjoined Nilus, having the face of a virgin, and the body of a lion. Henry Peacham on Drawing.

   Etymology: σφὶγξ.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sphinx

   A sphinx ( SFINKS, Ancient Greek: σφίγξ [spʰíŋks], Boeotian: φίξ [pʰíːks], plural sphinxes or sphinges) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Greek tradition, the sphinx has the head of a woman, the haunches of a lion, and the wings of a bird. She is mythicized as treacherous and merciless, and will kill and eat those who cannot answer her riddle. This deadly version of a sphinx appears in the myth and drama of Oedipus.Unlike the Greek sphinx, which was a woman, the Egyptian sphinx is typically shown as a man (an androsphinx (Ancient Greek: ανδρόσφιγξ)). In addition, the Egyptian sphinx was viewed as benevolent but having a ferocious strength similar to the malevolent Greek version. Both were thought of as guardians and often flank the entrances to temples.In European decorative art, the sphinx enjoyed a major revival during the Renaissance. Later, the sphinx image, initially very similar to the original Ancient Egyptian concept, was exported into many other cultures, albeit they are often interpreted quite differently due to translations of descriptions of the originals, and through the evolution of the concept in relation to other cultural traditions. Sphinx depictions are generally associated with architectural structures such as royal tombs or religious temples.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sphinx

   A sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human, often depicted in Egyptian and Greek art and mythology. In Greek mythology, the sphinx is characterized as a treacherous and merciless creature that posed riddles to travelers and destroyed those who could not solve them. In Egyptian culture, sphinxes are generally seen as benevolent and are symbols of royal power, often depicted in the form of statues guarding tombs and temples.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. Sphinxnoun

   in Egyptian art, an image of granite or porphyry, having a human head, or the head of a ram or of a hawk, upon the wingless body of a lion

2. Sphinxnoun

   on Greek art and mythology, a she-monster, usually represented as having the winged body of a lion, and the face and breast of a young woman

3. Sphinxnoun

   hence: A person of enigmatical character and purposes, especially in politics and diplomacy

4. Sphinxnoun

   any one of numerous species of large moths of the family Sphingidae; -- called also hawk moth

5. Sphinxnoun

   the Guinea, or sphinx, baboon (Cynocephalus sphinx)

6. Etymology: [L., from Gr. sfi`gx, usually derived from sfi`ggein to bind tight or together, as if the Throttler.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sphinx

   A sphinx is a mythical creature with, as a minimum, the body of a lion and a human head. In Greek tradition, it has the haunches of a lion, the wings of a great bird, and the face of a woman. She is mythicised as treacherous and merciless. Those who cannot answer her riddle suffer a fate typical in such mythological stories, as they are killed and eaten by this ravenous monster. Unlike the Greek sphinx which was a woman, the Egyptian sphinx is typically shown as a man. In addition, the Egyptian sphinx was viewed as benevolent in contrast to the malevolent Greek version and was thought of as a guardian often flanking the entrances to temples. In European decorative art, the sphinx enjoyed a major revival during the Renaissance. Later, the sphinx image, something very similar to the original Ancient Egyptian concept, was exported into many other cultures, albeit often interpreted quite differently due to translations of descriptions of the originals and the evolution of the concept in relation to other cultural traditions. Generally the role of sphinxes is associated with architectural structures such as royal tombs or religious temples. The oldest known sphinx was found near Gobekli Tepe at another site, Nevali Çori, or possibly 120 miles to the east at Kortik Tepe, Turkey, and was dated to 9,500 BC.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sphinx

   sfingks, n. a monster of Greek mythology, with the head of a woman and the body of a lioness, that proposed riddles to travellers, and strangled those who could not solve them: an enigmatic or inscrutable person: a hawk-moth: the Guinea baboon. [Gr.,—sphinggein, to throttle.]

The Nuttall EncyclopediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Sphinx

   a fabled animal, an invention of the ancient Egyptians, with the body and claws of a lioness, and the head of a woman, or of a ram, or of a goat, all types or representations of the king, effigies of which are frequently placed before temples on each side of the approach; the most famous of the sphinxes was the one which waylaid travellers and tormented them with a riddle, which if they could not answer she devoured them, but which Oedipus answered, whereupon she threw herself into the sea. "Such a sphinx," as we are told in "Past and Present," "is this life of ours, to all men and nations. Nature, like the Sphinx, is of womanly celestial loveliness and tenderness, the face and bosom of a goddess, but ending in the claws and the body of a lioness ... is a heavenly bride and conquest to the wise and brave, to them who can discern her behests and do them; a destroying fiend to them who cannot. Answer her riddle—Knowest thou the meaning of to-day?—it is well with thee. Answer it not; the solution for thee is a thing of teeth and claws."

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. sphinx

   Song lyrics by sphinx -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by sphinx on the Lyrics.com website.

Matched Categories

1. • Greek Mythology
   • Mythical Monster
   • Person
   • Statue

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce Sphinx?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Sphinx in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Sphinx in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Sphinx in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of Sphinx in a Sentence

1. European Commission:

   A sphinx is an open book compared to the UK, nobody knows where it is heading. Would like to make the sphinx talk and tell us in which direction they would like to go.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Sphinx
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Sphinx
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=Sphinx
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphinx
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sphinx
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Sphinx
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=Sphinx
9. ^ The Nuttall Encyclopedia
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12342/pg12342-images.html#Sphinx
10. ^ Usage in printed sources
    https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Sphinx