"Sphinx" meaning in English

See Sphinx in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proper name

IPA: /ˈsfɪŋks/ Audio: En-us-sphinx.ogg Forms: Sphinges [plural], Sphynx [alternative, dated]
Rhymes: -ɪŋks Etymology: From Middle English Spynx, from Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), perhaps from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “bind tightly, to strangle”). The appurtenance of Egyptian Szp:p-A53 (šzp, “image, statue, sphinx”) or Szp:p-A53-anx-n:x (šzp-ꜥnḫ, “living image”) remains unclear. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|Spynx}} Middle English Spynx, {{der|en|grc|Σφίγξ}} Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), {{cog|egy|šzp|<hiero>Szp:p-A53</hiero>|t=image, statue, sphinx|tr=<i class="Latn mention" lang="egy">šzp</i>}} Egyptian Szp:p-A53 (šzp, “image, statue, sphinx”) Head templates: {{en-proper noun|Sphinges}} Sphinx (plural Sphinges)
  1. (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. Tags: usually, with-definite-article Synonyms (definite: large statue in Egypt): The Great Sphinx Translations (large monument in Egypt): أَبُو الْهَوْل (ʔabū l-hawl) [masculine] (Arabic), Սֆինքս (Sfinkʻs) (Armenian), Сфінкс (Sfinks) [masculine] (Belarusian), Сфинкс (Sfinks) [masculine] (Bulgarian), 斯芬克斯 (Sīfēnkèsī) (Chinese Mandarin), Sfinksen (Danish), Sfinx (Dutch), Sfinks (Estonian), Sfinksi (Finnish), Sphinx [masculine] (French), სფინქსი (spinksi) (Georgian), Sphinx [feminine] (German), Σφίγγα (Sfínga) [feminine] (Greek), סְפִינְקְס (sfinks) [masculine] (Hebrew), गूढ़ व्यक्ति (gūṛh vyakti) [masculine] (Hindi), Szphinx (Hungarian), Sfinge [feminine] (Italian), スフィンクス (Sufinkusu) (Japanese), 스핑크스 (Seupingkeuseu) (Korean), Sfinksa [feminine] (Latvian), Sfinksas [masculine] (Lithuanian), Сфинга (Sfinga) [feminine] (Macedonian), Sfinġa [feminine] (Maltese), स्फिंक्स (sphiṅksa) [masculine] (Marathi), Sfinksen (Norwegian), ابوالهول (abulhowl) (Persian), Sfinks [masculine] (Polish), Esfinge [feminine] (Portuguese), Сфинкс (Sfinks) [masculine] (Russian), Сфи̏нга [Cyrillic, feminine] (Serbo-Croatian), Sfȉnga [Roman, feminine] (Serbo-Croatian), Sfinga [feminine] (Slovene), Esfinge [feminine] (Spanish), Sfinxen (Swedish), Абулҳавл (Abulhavl) (Tajik), สฟิงซ์ (sà-fíng) (Thai), Сфінкс (Sfinks) [masculine] (Ukrainian), ابوالہول [masculine] (Urdu), Nhân sư (Vietnamese)
    Sense id: en-Sphinx-en-name-jlKIWDj5 Categories (other): Ancient Egypt, Egypt Disambiguation of Ancient Egypt: 100 0 Disambiguation of Egypt: 100 0 Disambiguation of 'definite: large statue in Egypt': 95 5 Disambiguation of 'large monument in Egypt': 96 4
  2. (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. Tags: Greek Synonyms: The Great Sphinx of Giza Derived forms: Sphingian Translations (Greek mythological creature): Σφίγξ (Sphínx) (Ancient Greek), sfinks (Danish), Sfinx (Dutch), Sfinksi (Finnish), Σφίγγα (Sfínga) [feminine] (Greek), Sfinge [feminine] (Italian), スフィンクス (Sufinkusu) (Japanese), स्फिंक्स (sphiṅksa) (Marathi), sfinks [masculine] (Norwegian), Sfinks [masculine] (Polish), Esfinge [feminine] (Portuguese), Сфинкс (Sfinks) [masculine] (Russian), Esfinge [feminine] (Spanish), Sfinx [common-gender] (Swedish), สฟิงซ์ (sà-fíng) (Thai)
    Sense id: en-Sphinx-en-name-k63YlXQS Categories (other): Greek mythology, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with 4 entries, Pages with entries, Terms with Alemannic German translations, Terms with Ancient Greek translations, Terms with Arabic translations, Terms with Armenian translations, Terms with Belarusian translations, Terms with Bulgarian translations, Terms with Danish translations, Terms with Dutch translations, Terms with Estonian translations, Terms with Finnish translations, Terms with French translations, Terms with Georgian translations, Terms with German translations, Terms with Greek translations, Terms with Hebrew translations, Terms with Hindi translations, Terms with Hungarian translations, Terms with Italian translations, Terms with Japanese translations, Terms with Korean translations, Terms with Latin translations, Terms with Latvian translations, Terms with Lithuanian translations, Terms with Luxembourgish translations, Terms with Macedonian translations, Terms with Maltese translations, Terms with Mandarin translations, Terms with Marathi translations, Terms with Norwegian translations, Terms with Persian translations, Terms with Polish translations, Terms with Portuguese translations, Terms with Russian translations, Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations, Terms with Slovene translations, Terms with Spanish translations, Terms with Swedish translations, Terms with Tajik translations, Terms with Thai translations, Terms with Ukrainian translations, Terms with Urdu translations, Terms with Vietnamese translations, Egyptian mythology Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 32 68 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 19 81 Disambiguation of Pages with 4 entries: 34 66 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 34 66 Disambiguation of Terms with Alemannic German translations: 23 77 Disambiguation of Terms with Ancient Greek translations: 42 58 Disambiguation of Terms with Arabic translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Armenian translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Belarusian translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Bulgarian translations: 19 81 Disambiguation of Terms with Danish translations: 18 82 Disambiguation of Terms with Dutch translations: 22 78 Disambiguation of Terms with Estonian translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Finnish translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with French translations: 19 81 Disambiguation of Terms with Georgian translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Greek translations: 16 84 Disambiguation of Terms with Hebrew translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Hindi translations: 22 78 Disambiguation of Terms with Hungarian translations: 16 84 Disambiguation of Terms with Italian translations: 19 81 Disambiguation of Terms with Japanese translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Korean translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Latin translations: 19 81 Disambiguation of Terms with Latvian translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Lithuanian translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Luxembourgish translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Macedonian translations: 19 81 Disambiguation of Terms with Maltese translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Mandarin translations: 18 82 Disambiguation of Terms with Marathi translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Norwegian translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Persian translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Polish translations: 22 78 Disambiguation of Terms with Portuguese translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Russian translations: 17 83 Disambiguation of Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Slovene translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Spanish translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Swedish translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Tajik translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Terms with Thai translations: 20 80 Disambiguation of Terms with Ukrainian translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Urdu translations: 27 73 Disambiguation of Terms with Vietnamese translations: 26 74 Disambiguation of Egyptian mythology: 19 81 Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences Disambiguation of 'Greek mythological creature': 6 94

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "Spynx"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English Spynx",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Σφίγξ"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "egy",
        "2": "šzp",
        "3": "<hiero>Szp:p-A53</hiero>",
        "t": "image, statue, sphinx",
        "tr": "<i class=\"Latn mention\" lang=\"egy\">šzp</i>"
      },
      "expansion": "Egyptian Szp:p-A53 (šzp, “image, statue, sphinx”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English Spynx, from Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), perhaps from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “bind tightly, to strangle”). The appurtenance of Egyptian Szp:p-A53 (šzp, “image, statue, sphinx”) or Szp:p-A53-anx-n:x (šzp-ꜥnḫ, “living image”) remains unclear.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Sphinges",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Sphynx",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "dated"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "Sphinges"
      },
      "expansion": "Sphinx (plural Sphinges)",
      "name": "en-proper noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "name",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Ancient Egypt",
          "orig": "en:Ancient Egypt",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "100 0",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Egypt",
          "orig": "en:Egypt",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An ancient, large statue in Egypt, with the face of a man and the body of a lion, lying near the Great Pyramids."
      ],
      "id": "en-Sphinx-en-name-jlKIWDj5",
      "links": [
        [
          "statue",
          "statue"
        ],
        [
          "Egypt",
          "Egypt"
        ],
        [
          "man",
          "man"
        ],
        [
          "lion",
          "lion"
        ],
        [
          "Great Pyramid",
          "Great Pyramid"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(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."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "95 5",
          "sense": "definite: large statue in Egypt",
          "word": "The Great Sphinx"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "usually",
        "with-definite-article"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ar",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "roman": "ʔabū l-hawl",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "أَبُو الْهَوْل"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "hy",
          "lang": "Armenian",
          "roman": "Sfinkʻs",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Սֆինքս"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "be",
          "lang": "Belarusian",
          "roman": "Sfinks",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Сфінкс"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "Sfinks",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Сфинкс"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "Sīfēnkèsī",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "斯芬克斯"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Sfinksen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Sfinx"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "et",
          "lang": "Estonian",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Sfinks"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Sfinksi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Sphinx"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ka",
          "lang": "Georgian",
          "roman": "spinksi",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "სფინქსი"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Sphinx"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "Sfínga",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Σφίγγα"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "he",
          "lang": "Hebrew",
          "roman": "sfinks",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "סְפִינְקְס"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "hi",
          "lang": "Hindi",
          "roman": "gūṛh vyakti",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "गूढ़ व्यक्ति"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Szphinx"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Sfinge"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "Sufinkusu",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "スフィンクス"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ko",
          "lang": "Korean",
          "roman": "Seupingkeuseu",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "스핑크스"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "lv",
          "lang": "Latvian",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Sfinksa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "lt",
          "lang": "Lithuanian",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Sfinksas"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "mk",
          "lang": "Macedonian",
          "roman": "Sfinga",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Сфинга"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "mt",
          "lang": "Maltese",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Sfinġa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "mr",
          "lang": "Marathi",
          "roman": "sphiṅksa",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "स्फिंक्स"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Sfinksen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "fa",
          "lang": "Persian",
          "roman": "abulhowl",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "ابوالهول"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Sfinks"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Esfinge"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "Sfinks",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Сфинкс"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "Cyrillic",
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Сфи̏нга"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "Roman",
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Sfȉnga"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "sl",
          "lang": "Slovene",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Sfinga"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Esfinge"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Sfinxen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "tg",
          "lang": "Tajik",
          "roman": "Abulhavl",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Абулҳавл"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "roman": "sà-fíng",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "สฟิงซ์"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "Sfinks",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Сфінкс"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "ur",
          "lang": "Urdu",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "ابوالہول"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "96 4",
          "code": "vi",
          "lang": "Vietnamese",
          "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
          "word": "Nhân sư"
        }
      ]
    },
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Latvian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Lithuanian translations",
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        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Luxembourgish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 81",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Macedonian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "18 82",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Marathi translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Norwegian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Persian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 78",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "17 83",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Russian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Slovene translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Tajik translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 80",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Thai translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "27 73",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Urdu translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 74",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Vietnamese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "19 81",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Egyptian mythology",
          "orig": "en:Egyptian mythology",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "_dis1": "15 85",
          "word": "Sphingian"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "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."
      ],
      "id": "en-Sphinx-en-name-k63YlXQS",
      "links": [
        [
          "Greek",
          "Greek"
        ],
        [
          "mythology",
          "mythology"
        ],
        [
          "Typhon",
          "Typhon"
        ],
        [
          "Echidna",
          "Echidna"
        ],
        [
          "Oedipus",
          "Oedipus"
        ],
        [
          "riddle",
          "riddle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(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": [
        {
          "_dis1": "15 85",
          "word": "The Great Sphinx of Giza"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Greek"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "mysticism",
        "mythology",
        "philosophy",
        "sciences"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "word": "sfinks"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "word": "Sfinx"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "word": "Sfinksi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "Sfínga",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Σφίγγα"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "grc",
          "lang": "Ancient Greek",
          "roman": "Sphínx",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "word": "Σφίγξ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Sfinge"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "Sufinkusu",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "word": "スフィンクス"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "mr",
          "lang": "Marathi",
          "roman": "sphiṅksa",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "word": "स्फिंक्स"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "sfinks"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Sfinks"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Esfinge"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "Sfinks",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Сфинкс"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Esfinge"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "tags": [
            "common-gender"
          ],
          "word": "Sfinx"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "6 94",
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "roman": "sà-fíng",
          "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
          "word": "สฟิงซ์"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsfɪŋks/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-sphinx.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/10/En-us-sphinx.ogg/En-us-sphinx.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/En-us-sphinx.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪŋks"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Great Sphinx of Giza",
    "Sphinx"
  ],
  "word": "Sphinx"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English proper nouns",
    "English terms derived from Ancient Greek",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 4 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Requests for review of Alemannic German translations",
    "Requests for review of Latin translations",
    "Requests for review of Luxembourgish translations",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪŋks",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪŋks/1 syllable",
    "Terms with Alemannic German translations",
    "Terms with Ancient Greek translations",
    "Terms with Arabic translations",
    "Terms with Armenian translations",
    "Terms with Belarusian translations",
    "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
    "Terms with Danish translations",
    "Terms with Dutch translations",
    "Terms with Estonian translations",
    "Terms with Finnish translations",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Georgian translations",
    "Terms with German translations",
    "Terms with Greek translations",
    "Terms with Hebrew translations",
    "Terms with Hindi translations",
    "Terms with Hungarian translations",
    "Terms with Italian translations",
    "Terms with Japanese translations",
    "Terms with Korean translations",
    "Terms with Latin translations",
    "Terms with Latvian translations",
    "Terms with Lithuanian translations",
    "Terms with Luxembourgish translations",
    "Terms with Macedonian translations",
    "Terms with Maltese translations",
    "Terms with Mandarin translations",
    "Terms with Marathi translations",
    "Terms with Norwegian translations",
    "Terms with Persian translations",
    "Terms with Polish translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations",
    "Terms with Russian translations",
    "Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
    "Terms with Slovene translations",
    "Terms with Spanish translations",
    "Terms with Swedish translations",
    "Terms with Tajik translations",
    "Terms with Thai translations",
    "Terms with Ukrainian translations",
    "Terms with Urdu translations",
    "Terms with Vietnamese translations",
    "en:Ancient Egypt",
    "en:Egypt",
    "en:Egyptian mythology"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "Sphingian"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "Spynx"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English Spynx",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "Σφίγξ"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "egy",
        "2": "šzp",
        "3": "<hiero>Szp:p-A53</hiero>",
        "t": "image, statue, sphinx",
        "tr": "<i class=\"Latn mention\" lang=\"egy\">šzp</i>"
      },
      "expansion": "Egyptian Szp:p-A53 (šzp, “image, statue, sphinx”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English Spynx, from Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), perhaps from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “bind tightly, to strangle”). The appurtenance of Egyptian Szp:p-A53 (šzp, “image, statue, sphinx”) or Szp:p-A53-anx-n:x (šzp-ꜥnḫ, “living image”) remains unclear.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Sphinges",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Sphynx",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "dated"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "Sphinges"
      },
      "expansion": "Sphinx (plural Sphinges)",
      "name": "en-proper noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "name",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "An ancient, large statue in Egypt, with the face of a man and the body of a lion, lying near the Great Pyramids."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "statue",
          "statue"
        ],
        [
          "Egypt",
          "Egypt"
        ],
        [
          "man",
          "man"
        ],
        [
          "lion",
          "lion"
        ],
        [
          "Great Pyramid",
          "Great Pyramid"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(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."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "usually",
        "with-definite-article"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Greek mythology"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "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."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Greek",
          "Greek"
        ],
        [
          "mythology",
          "mythology"
        ],
        [
          "Typhon",
          "Typhon"
        ],
        [
          "Echidna",
          "Echidna"
        ],
        [
          "Oedipus",
          "Oedipus"
        ],
        [
          "riddle",
          "riddle"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(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."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Greek"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "human-sciences",
        "mysticism",
        "mythology",
        "philosophy",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsfɪŋks/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-sphinx.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/10/En-us-sphinx.ogg/En-us-sphinx.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/En-us-sphinx.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪŋks"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "definite: large statue in Egypt",
      "word": "The Great Sphinx"
    },
    {
      "word": "The Great Sphinx of Giza"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "roman": "ʔabū l-hawl",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "أَبُو الْهَوْل"
    },
    {
      "code": "hy",
      "lang": "Armenian",
      "roman": "Sfinkʻs",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Սֆինքս"
    },
    {
      "code": "be",
      "lang": "Belarusian",
      "roman": "Sfinks",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Сфінкс"
    },
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "Sfinks",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Сфинкс"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "Sīfēnkèsī",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "斯芬克斯"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Sfinksen"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Sfinx"
    },
    {
      "code": "et",
      "lang": "Estonian",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Sfinks"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Sfinksi"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Sphinx"
    },
    {
      "code": "ka",
      "lang": "Georgian",
      "roman": "spinksi",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "სფინქსი"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Sphinx"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "Sfínga",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Σφίγγα"
    },
    {
      "code": "he",
      "lang": "Hebrew",
      "roman": "sfinks",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "סְפִינְקְס"
    },
    {
      "code": "hi",
      "lang": "Hindi",
      "roman": "gūṛh vyakti",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "गूढ़ व्यक्ति"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Szphinx"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Sfinge"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "Sufinkusu",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "スフィンクス"
    },
    {
      "code": "ko",
      "lang": "Korean",
      "roman": "Seupingkeuseu",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "스핑크스"
    },
    {
      "code": "lv",
      "lang": "Latvian",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Sfinksa"
    },
    {
      "code": "lt",
      "lang": "Lithuanian",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Sfinksas"
    },
    {
      "code": "mk",
      "lang": "Macedonian",
      "roman": "Sfinga",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Сфинга"
    },
    {
      "code": "mt",
      "lang": "Maltese",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Sfinġa"
    },
    {
      "code": "mr",
      "lang": "Marathi",
      "roman": "sphiṅksa",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "स्फिंक्स"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Sfinksen"
    },
    {
      "code": "fa",
      "lang": "Persian",
      "roman": "abulhowl",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "ابوالهول"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Sfinks"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Esfinge"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "Sfinks",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Сфинкс"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "Cyrillic",
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Сфи̏нга"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "Roman",
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Sfȉnga"
    },
    {
      "code": "sl",
      "lang": "Slovene",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Sfinga"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Esfinge"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Sfinxen"
    },
    {
      "code": "tg",
      "lang": "Tajik",
      "roman": "Abulhavl",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Абулҳавл"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "roman": "sà-fíng",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "สฟิงซ์"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "Sfinks",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Сфінкс"
    },
    {
      "code": "ur",
      "lang": "Urdu",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "ابوالہول"
    },
    {
      "code": "vi",
      "lang": "Vietnamese",
      "sense": "large monument in Egypt",
      "word": "Nhân sư"
    },
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "word": "sfinks"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "word": "Sfinx"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "word": "Sfinksi"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "Sfínga",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Σφίγγα"
    },
    {
      "code": "grc",
      "lang": "Ancient Greek",
      "roman": "Sphínx",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "word": "Σφίγξ"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Sfinge"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "Sufinkusu",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "word": "スフィンクス"
    },
    {
      "code": "mr",
      "lang": "Marathi",
      "roman": "sphiṅksa",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "word": "स्फिंक्स"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "sfinks"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Sfinks"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Esfinge"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "Sfinks",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Сфинкс"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Esfinge"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "tags": [
        "common-gender"
      ],
      "word": "Sfinx"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "roman": "sà-fíng",
      "sense": "Greek mythological creature",
      "word": "สฟิงซ์"
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "Great Sphinx of Giza",
    "Sphinx"
  ],
  "word": "Sphinx"
}

Download raw JSONL data for Sphinx meaning in English (11.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-06-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-06-01 using wiktextract (5ee713e and f1c2b61). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.