phenomena
UK/fɪˈnɒm.ɪ.nə//fɪˈnɑm.ɪ.nə/
phenomena is the plural of phenomenon.
Meaning of phenomenon
Noun
phenomenon (plural phenomena or (proscribed) phenomenons or phenomenon)
- A thing or being, event or process, perceptible through senses; or a fact or occurrence thereof.
- The year 1866 was signalised by a remarkable incident, a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon, which doubtless no one has yet forgotten.1873, Jules Verne, chapter I, in [anonymous], transl., Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas; […], James R. Osgood edition, Boston, Mass.: Geo[rge] M[urray] Smith & Co., →OCLC, part I, page 3
- Synonyms:
- event
- A knowable thing or event (e.g. by inference, especially in science).
- An electromagnetic phenomenon.
- A kind or type of phenomenon (sense 1 or 2).
- A volcanic eruption is an impressive phenomenon.
- Appearance; a perceptible aspect of something that is mutable.
- I verily believe that in the Moon there are no rains, for if Clouds should gather in any part thereof, as they do about the Earth, they would thereupon hide from our sight some of those things, which we with the Telescope behold in the Moon, and in a word, would some way or other change its...1662, Thomas Salusbury, transl., Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World, First Day
- A fact or event considered very unusual, curious, or astonishing by those who witness it.
- The phenomenon of a huge blazing fire, upon the opposite bank of the glen, again presented itself to the eye of the watchman. . . . He resolved to examine more nearly the object of his wonder.1816, [Walter Scott], chapter XVIII, in The Antiquary. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC
- A wonderful or very remarkable person or thing.
- "This, sir," said Mr Vincent Crummles, bringing the maiden forward, "this is the infant phenomenon—Miss Ninetta Crummles."1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 23, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC
Noun
phenomena (plural phenomenas or phenomenae)
- A phenomenon.
- And that this doctrine is true, the accidents or Phenomenas evidently declare unto us; […]1645, Kenelme Digby, “Of three sorts of violent motion, Reflection, Vndulation, and Refraction”, in Two Treatises: In the One of Which, the Nature of Bodies; in the Other, the Nature of Mans Soule...
- Senſe is Deceitful, and may feign, / As well in counterfeiting Pain / As other groſs Phænomena’s, / In which it oft miſtakes the Caſe.1663 (indicated as 1664), [Samuel Butler], “Canto I”, in Hudibras. The Second Part. […], London: […] T[homas] R[oycroft] for John Martyn, and James Allestry […], →OCLC, page 15
Forms of phenomena
| plural | phenomenas |
|---|---|
| plural | phenomenae |
| alternative form (archaic) | phænomena |
| alternative hypercorrect (archaic) | phœnomena |
Origin of phenomena
The plural form of phenomenon, formed according to the Ancient Greek -ον (-on) → -α (-a) pluralisation pattern.
Phrases with phenomena
Words that rhyme with phenomena
Questions about phenomena
- What does phenomena mean?
- Phenomena means a phenomenon.
- What is phenomena the plural of?
- Phenomena is the plural of phenomenon.
- What part of speech is phenomena?
- Phenomena is a noun.
- How do you pronounce phenomena?
- Phenomena is pronounced /fɪˈnɒm.ɪ.nə/ (UK).
- What is the plural of phenomena?
- The plural of phenomena is phenomenas.
Words near phenomena in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: phenomena (page history and authors); phenomenon (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-phenomena.ogg.
Cite this entry: “phenomena.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/phenomena. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.