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The sphinx will always have to be looked after.
Zahi Hawass

Meaning of "sphinx" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF SPHINX

sphinx  [sfɪŋks] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SPHINX

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Sphinx is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES SPHINX MEAN IN ENGLISH?

sphinx

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, sometimes with the wings of a great bird, and the face of a human. It is mythicised as treacherous and merciless. Those who cannot answer its riddle suffer a fate typical in such mythological stories, as they are killed and eaten by this ravenous monster. 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. In addition, the Egyptian sphinx was viewed as benevolent, but having a ferocious strength similar to the malevolent Greek version and were both 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.

Definition of sphinx in the English dictionary

The definition of sphinx in the dictionary is any of a number of huge stone statues built by the ancient Egyptians, having the body of a lion and the head of a man. Other definition of sphinx is an inscrutable person.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH SPHINX


androsphinx
ˈændrəˌsfɪŋks
blinks
blɪŋks
drinks
drɪŋks
hieracosphinx
ˌhaɪəˈreɪkəʊˌsfɪŋks
hijinks
ˈhaɪˌdʒɪŋks
hypopharynx
ˌhaɪpəʊˈfærɪŋks
jinks
dʒɪŋks
jinx
dʒɪŋks
jynx
dʒɪŋks
larynx
ˈlærɪŋks
Lincs
lɪŋks
links
lɪŋks
lynx
lɪŋks
methinks
mɪˈθɪŋks
minx
mɪŋks
nasopharynx
ˌneɪzəʊˈfærɪŋks
oropharynx
ˌɔːrəʊˈfærɪŋks
pharynx
ˈfærɪŋks
Sphynx
sfɪŋks
syrinx
ˈsɪrɪŋks

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SPHINX

spherulitic
sphery
sphincter
sphincteral
sphincterial
sphincteric
sphinges
sphingid
sphingomyelin
sphingosine
sphinx moth
sphinxlike
sphragistic
sphragistics
sphygmic
sphygmogram
sphygmograph
sphygmographic
sphygmography
sphygmoid

WORDS THAT END LIKE SPHINX

bay lynx
Bronx
desert lynx
lanx
Manx
meninx
phalanx
phorminx
Polish lynx
quincunx
salpinx
thanx
the Bronx
the Sphinx

Synonyms and antonyms of sphinx in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «sphinx» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SPHINX

Find out the translation of sphinx to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of sphinx from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «sphinx» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

狮身人面像
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

esfinge
570 millions of speakers

English

sphinx
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

स्फिंक्स
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

أبو الهول
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

сфинкс
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

esfinge
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

স্পিংক্স
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

sphinx
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Sphinx
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

sphinx
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

スフィンクス
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

스핑크스
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Sphinx
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

người khó hiểu
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

ஐந்தாயிரம்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

स्फिंक्स
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

sfenks
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

sfinge
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

sfinks
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

сфінкс
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

sfinx
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

σφίγγα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

sfinks
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

sfinx
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

sfinksen
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of sphinx

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SPHINX»

The term «sphinx» is very widely used and occupies the 16.840 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
93
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «sphinx» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of sphinx
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «sphinx».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SPHINX» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «sphinx» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «sphinx» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about sphinx

EXAMPLES

2 QUOTES WITH «SPHINX»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word sphinx.
1
Zahi Hawass
The sphinx will always have to be looked after.
2
Saul Steinberg
A beautiful woman can be painted as a totem only; not as a woman, but as a Madonna, a queen, a sphinx.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SPHINX»

Discover the use of sphinx in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to sphinx and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Sphinx
Sphinx stages a dramatic interplay between an ancient world of vast wealth and the modern world that robs and reveres it.
Robin Cook, 2013
2
Introduction to Search with Sphinx: From Installation to ...
"From installation to relevance tuning"--Cover.
Andrew Aksyonoff, 2011
3
American Sphinx
We understand why we should neither beatify him nor consign him to the rubbish heap of history, though we are by no means required to stop loving him. He is Thomas Jefferson, after all--our very own sphinx. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Joseph J. Ellis, 1998
4
Automatic Speech Recognition: The Development of the SPHINX ...
Speech Recognition has a long history of being one of the difficult problems in Artificial Intelligence and Computer Science.
Kai-Fu Lee, 1989
5
The Sphinx in the City: Urban Life, the Control of Disorder, ...
"Adopting the guise of a flaneur, Wilson reconsiders the classical imagery of the city from the viewpoints of diverse groups of women: bourgeois wives, prostitutes, transvestite writers, and others.
Elizabeth Wilson, 1992
6
Book of the Sphinx
The Sphinx, that icon painted, sculpted, engraved, and exalted in poetry, fiction, and music, so impressed the philosopher Hegel that he pronounced the creature “the symbol of the symbolic itself.” With a wealth of illustrations, Book ...
Willis Goth Regier, 2004
7
Sphinx Search Beginner's Guide
Implement full-text search with lightning speed and accuracy using Sphinx.
Abbas Ali, 2011
8
The Persian Sphinx: Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the ...
This work provides a narrative which illuminates the life of Iran's most pivotal and enigmatic 20th century figures but also sheds important light on Iran's late 20th century history.
Abbas Milani, 2000
9
Sphinx: History of a Monument
Commissioned by Chephren in the mid-3rd millennium BC as part of a funerary complex, this book traces the history of its construction, its function and religious significance, its relationship to other later sphinxes and its enduring ...
Christiane Zivie-Coche, 2004
10
The Mysterious Sphinx
Why it is an object of awe and reverence. a startling expose showing how a symbol for the ancient masters evolved into the God of Christianity. the Secret of the Cosmic Principles Which Constitute Man; the Lost Word; the Vital Principle of ...
Hilton Hotema, 1996

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SPHINX»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term sphinx is used in the context of the following news items.
1
ISIL vows to demolish the pyramids and the sphinx amid wave of …
As tensions rise in Egypt, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is calling for the nation's cultural icons, like the pyramids and the sphinx, should be destroyed. «National Post, Jul 15»
2
Forgotten 1920s 'Ten Commandments' Sphinx Gets a Hollywood …
After spending more than 90 years in the sandy dunes of Guadalupe, California, a majestic plaster Hollywood sphinx, created for the 1923 blockbuster silent film ... «Live Science, Jun 15»
3
Terry Marotta: Sphinx a lot or, the creative project
I just love this time of year when schoolchildren, working away at home, fashion maps, and hand puppets, and dioramas, then bring them in for all to see. «Seacoastonline.com, May 15»
4
New role for Sphinx founder Aaron Dworkin: UM dean
As a student at the University of Michigan in 1997, violinist Aaron Dworkin walked into the office of the dean of the School of Music, Theatre & Dance and laid out ... «Detroit Free Press, Mar 15»
5
ISIS War On Culture: Terrorist Group Calls For Destruction Of Great …
The question that needs to be answered is why ISIS has suddenly targeted the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. Most news outlets report that ISIS, though ... «The Inquisitr, Mar 15»
6
Clive Davis to Receive Hasty Pudding's Order of the Golden Sphinx
Davis will receive the Order of the Golden Sphinx award at a gala in New York City on April 13. The institute announced the award Wednesday. See more Clive ... «Hollywood Reporter, Jan 15»
7
Great Sphinx of Giza's courtyard to reopen
“The Sphinx courtyard will be opened for the first time since the restoration of the monument [began]”, Mohammed al-Damati, Egypt's antiquities minister, told ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Nov 14»
8
Missing Amphipolis Sphinx Head Discovered
Missing-Head-of-Amphipolis-Discovered1 Another amazing discovery has surfaced on the Amphipolis dig, Greece. The missing head of the Sphinx “guarding” ... «Greek Reporter, Oct 14»
9
Archaeologists Unearth Giant Sphinx—in California
Last week, archaeologists excavated an enormous sphinx buried underneath a windswept California sand dune. If it sounds like a story straight out of Hollywood ... «History, Oct 14»
10
Photos: Uncovering Sphinxes from 1923 'The Ten Commandments'
After being buried for more than 90 years beneath the sand dunes of Guadalupe, California, a towering sphinx from a blockbuster film "The Ten ... «LiveScience.com, Oct 14»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Sphinx [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/sphinx>. Apr 2024 ».
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