sphynx
/ˈsfɪŋks/
sphynx is the dated form of sphinx.
sphynx is the alternative letter-case form of Sphynx.
Meaning of sphinx
Noun
sphinx (plural sphinxes or sphinges)
- A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
- [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...
- A person who keeps their thoughts and intentions secret; an enigmatic or impassive person.
- ...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
- Synonyms:
- enigma
- A mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), formerly classified as a baboon, and called sphinx baboon.
- A sphinx moth.
- A sphincter.
- 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
Proper noun capitalized: Sphynx
Sphynx
- Dated form of Sphinx (“Egyptian statue”).
- Where old Nile is everflowing, / And the Sphynx with heavy lids / Sits by ruins grim and sombre — / Onward to the Pyramids.1852, C. P. Cranch, “The Palm Tree of Capri”, in Dwight's Journal of Music, page 26
Noun capitalized: Sphynx
Sphynx (plural Sphynx or Sphynxes)
- A domestic cat of a breed with little or no hair, a narrow long head, and webbed feet.
- Sphynx cats are often called hairless cats. But Sphynx do have hair. Very short, fine hairs called down cover the Sphynx’s body.2001, Joanne Mattern, The Sphynx Cat, Capstone, →ISBN, page 7
Forms of sphynx
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | sphynxes |
| plural | Sphynx |
| plural | Sphynxes |
| Proper noun | |
| alternative form | sphynx |
Words that rhyme with sphynx
Questions about sphynx
- What does sphynx mean?
- Sphynx means a domestic cat of a breed with little or no hair, a narrow long head, and webbed feet.
- What is sphynx the dated form of?
- Sphynx is the dated form of sphinx.
- What part of speech is sphynx?
- Sphynx can be a proper noun or a noun.
- How do you pronounce sphynx?
- Sphynx is pronounced /ˈsfɪŋks/.
Words near sphynx in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: sphynx (page history and authors); Sphynx (page history and authors); sphinx (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-sphinx.ogg.
Cite this entry: “sphynx.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sphynx. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.