sphinx
(noun) one of a number of large stone statues with the body of a lion and the head of a man that were built by the ancient Egyptians
Sphinx
(noun) (Greek mythology) a riddling winged monster with a woman’s head and breast on a lion’s body; daughter of Typhon
sphinx
(noun) an inscrutable person who keeps his thoughts and intentions secret
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Sphinges
plural of Sphinx
sphinges
plural of sphinx
Source: Wiktionary
Sphinx, n. Etym: [L., from Gr. sfi`gx, usually derived from sfi`ggein to bind tight or together, as if the Throttler.]
1. (a) In Egyptian art, an image of granite or porphyry, having a human head, or the head of a ram or of a hawk, upon the wingless body of a lion. The awful ruins of the days of old . . . Or jasper tomb, or mutilated sphinx. Shelley.
(b) On Greek art and mythology, a she-monster, usually represented as having the winged body of a lion, and the face and breast of a young woman.
Note: The most famous Grecian sphinx, that of Thebes in Boeotia, is said to have proposed a riddle to the Thebans, and killed those who were unable to guess it. The enigma was solved by "Subtle as sphinx." Shak.
2. Hence: A person of enigmatical character and purposes, especially in politics and diplomacy.
3. (Zoöl.)
Definition: Any one of numerous species of large moths of the family Sphingidæ; -- called also hawk moth.
Note: The larva is a stout naked caterpillar which, when at rest, often assumes a position suggesting the Egyptian sphinx, whence the name.
4. (Zoöl.)
Definition: The Guinea, or sphinx, baboon (Cynocephalus sphinx). Sphinx baboon (Zoöl.), a large West African baboon (Cynocephalus sphinx), often kept in menageries.
– Sphinx moth. (Zoöl.) Same as Sphinx, 3.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
2 April 2025
(adjective) secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; “covert actions by the CIA”; “covert funding for the rebels”
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
