sphinx

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   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.

2. 2
   noun

   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.

3. 3
   noun

   A sphincter.

   Constance said boastfully, ‘My sphinxes are strong and in good repair. I order you to come.’.

4. 4
   verb

   To decorate with sphinxes.

   A marble sphinxed chimney-piece.

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”).

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images