Sphinx Meaning
/ˈsfɪŋks/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
nounA person who keeps their thoughts and intentions secret; an enigmatic or impassive person.
Sentence Examples
The Sphinx howled with rage.
The Sphinx began to walk around him.
Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz.
CEFR Practice Quiz
In ancient Egyptian mythology, the ____ is a creature with a lion's body and a human head.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The Great ____ of Giza is a massive limestone statue with the body of a lion and a human head.
Word Origin & History
From Sphinx, from Middle English Spynx, from Latin Sphinx, from Ancient Greek Σφίγξ (Sphínx), perhaps either from σφίγγω (sphíngō, “to squeeze, to strangle”) (whence also sphincter), of Pre-Greek origin, or from Egyptian Szp:p-A53-anx-n:x (šzp-ꜥnḫ, “divine image”, literally “living image”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[W]hatsoe'er of strange / Sculptured on alabaster obelisk, / Or jasper tomb, or mutilated sphynx, / Dark Æthiopia in her desert hills. / Conceals."
— 1815 September 10 – December 14, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Alastor; or, The Spirit of Solitude”, in Alastor; or, The Spirit of Solitude: And Other Poems, London: […] Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, […]; and Carpenter and Son, […] [b]y S[amuel] Hamilton, […], published 1816, →OCLC, page 9:
"...it is clear that judges are no longer required to be as passive as they once were; to be what I call sphinx judges. We now not only accept that a judge may intervene in the adversarial debate, but also believe that it is sometimes essential for him to do so for justice in fact to be done."
— 1985 February 21, Antonio Lamer, “Brouillard Also Known As Chatel v. The Queen, 1985 CanLII 56 (SCC)”, in CanLII, retrieved 22 Oct 2021:
"Constance said boastfully, ‘My sphinxes are strong and in good repair. I order you to come.’"
— 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance (Avignon Quintet), Faber & Faber, published 2004, page 836:
"The sphinxèd riddle of the Universe,
Nature's unsolved enigma, who may prove?"
— 1900, Leigh Gordon Giltner, “Love and Death”, in The Path of Dreams: Poems, page 27:
"Then there are the folks trying to do a Garbo on us[…]Janet Gaynor, so they tell, is sphinxing it and has gone into a Retirement, with "Nothing to Say — Please Go Away" written on the doormat."
— 1933 February, Gladys Hall, “The Hollywood Frivolities of 1932”, in Motion Picture, volume 45, page 29:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
In ancient Egyptian mythology, the ____ is a creature with a lion's body and a human head.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The Great ____ of Giza is a massive limestone statue with the body of a lion and a human head.