sphinx.
A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
Meaning & usage
A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
A person who keeps their thoughts and intentions secret; an enigmatic or impassive person.
A mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), formerly classified as a baboon, and called sphinx baboon.
A sphinx moth.
A sphincter.
Where this word comes from
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”).
To decorate with sphinxes.
a marble sphinxed chimney-piece
To adopt the posture of the Sphinx.
A hot lion with a very bloated stomach … will adopt either a sphinxed or a squatting posture which takes some of the weight off its belly.
Several animals maintained either a crouched … or a sphinxing posture (abdomen on the floor)
To be inscrutable, often through silence.
To behave in a manner characteristic of the Sphinx.
Where this word comes from
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”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.