Sphinx

From Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx).

Sphinx f

1. A taxonomic genus within the family Sphingidae – many species of moths.

• (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

• (genus): Sphinx ligustri (type species), for the many others see Sphinx on Wikispecies.Wikispecies

• Sphinx (moth) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Sphinx on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Sphinx (Sphingidae) on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

• Sphynx (dated)

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.

• IPA^(key): /ˈsfɪŋks/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋks

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.
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.

• (definite: large statue in Egypt): The Great Sphinx, The Great Sphinx of Giza

• Sphingian

From Ancient Greek Σφῐ́γξ (Sphĭ́nx).

• IPA^(key): /sfɪŋ(k)s/

• Audio:

  (file)

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)

1. sphinx

• 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.

From Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx).

Sphinx f (genitive Sphingis); third declension

1. Sphinx

Third-declension noun (non-Greek-type or Greek-type, normal variant).

• “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.