sphinx

[sfingks]

noun

plural

sphinxes, sphinges 

1. (in ancient Egypt)

   1. a figure of an imaginary creature having the head of a man or an animal and the body of a lion.

   2. (usually initial capital letter),  the colossal recumbent stone figure of this kind near the pyramids of Giza.

2. (initial capital letter),  a monster, usually represented as having the head and breast of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. Seated on a rock outside of Thebes, she proposed a riddle to travelers, killing them when they answered incorrectly, as all did before Oedipus. When he answered her riddle correctly the Sphinx killed herself.

3. any similar monster.

4. a mysterious, inscrutable person or thing, especially one given to enigmatic questions or answers.

Sphinx

¹

/ sfɪŋks /

noun

1. Greek myth a monster with a woman's head and a lion's body. She lay outside Thebes, asking travellers a riddle and killing them when they failed to answer it. Oedipus answered the riddle and the Sphinx then killed herself

2. the huge statue of a sphinx near the pyramids at El Gîza in Egypt, of which the head is a carved portrait of the fourth-dynasty Pharaoh, Chephrēn

sphinx

²

/ sfɪŋks /

noun

1. 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

2. an inscrutable person

Sphinx

¹

1. In the story of Oedipus, a winged monster with the head of a woman and the body of a lion. It waylaid travelers on the roads near the city of Thebes and would kill any of them who could not answer this riddle: “What creatures walk on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?” Oedipus finally gave the correct answer: human beings, who go on all fours as infants, walk upright in maturity, and in old age rely on the “third leg” of a cane.

Sphinx

²

1. A great sculpture carved from the rock near the Egyptian pyramids in about 2500 b.c. It depicts a creature from Egyptian mythology with the head of a man and the body of a lion. (See under “Mythology and Folklore.”)

The sphinx of Greek mythology resembles the sphinx of Egyptian mythology but is distinct from it (the Egyptian sphinx had a man's head). (See under “Fine Arts.”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sphinx¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin < Greek sphínx, equivalent to sphing-, base of sphíngein to hold tight ( sphincter ) + -s nominative singular ending

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sphinx¹

C16: via Latin from Greek, apparently from sphingein to hold fast

Example Sentences

Known as the Czech Sphinx for his enigmatic style, Mr Kretinsky, who is 49, is worth £6bn according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

From BBC

Whichever man Odo is, he’s a man who’s capable of covering up pretty much anything with layers of sophistry, becoming “as smooth and serene as the Sphinx.”

From Los Angeles Times

He soon realized that the icon’s reputation as a Sphinx was well-deserved.

From Los Angeles Times

So goes the riddle of the Sphinx, and the answer, as Oedipus discerned, is man: crawling as an infant, bipedal as an adult, walking with a cane in old age.

From New York Times

“The Riddles of the Sphinx” poses questions — What kinds of intellectual work is considered worthy of our attention?

From New York Times

Related Words

• conundrum 
• enigma 
• problem 
• question 
• riddle 
• secrecy 
• subtlety 
• thriller