phoenix
or phe·nix
[ fee-niks ]
/ ˈfi nɪks /
noun
(sometimes initial capital letter)
a mythical bird of great beauty fabled to live 500 or 600 years in the Arabian wilderness, to burn itself on a funeral pyre, and to rise from its ashes in the freshness of youth and live through another cycle of years: often an emblem of immortality or of reborn idealism or hope.
genitive Phoe·ni·cis
[fee-nahy-sis, -nee-] /fiˈnaɪ sɪs, -ˈni-/. (initial capital letter) Astronomy.
a southern constellation between Hydrus and Sculptor.
a person or thing of peerless beauty or excellence; paragon.
a person or thing that has become renewed or restored after suffering calamity or apparent annihilation.
Origin of phoenix
before 900; < Latin < Greek
phoînix a mythical bird, purple-red color, Phoenician, date palm; replacing Middle English, Old English
fēnix < Medieval Latin; Latin as above
Words nearby phoenix
phocomelic dwarf,
phoebe,
phoebus,
phoenicia,
phoenician,
phoenix,
phoenix islands,
phoenixville,
phokomelia,
pholidota,
pholus
Definition for phoenix (2 of 3)
Phoenix
[ fee-niks ]
/ ˈfi nɪks /
noun
Classical Mythology.
- the brother of Cadmus and Europa, and eponymous ancestor of the Phoenicians.
- a son of Amyntor and Cleobule who became the foster father of Achilles and who fought with the Greek forces in the Trojan War.
a city in and the capital of Arizona, in the central part.
Military.
a 13-foot (4 meters), 989-pound (445 kg), U.S. Navy air-to-air missile with radar guidance and a range of over 120 nautical miles.
Definition for phoenix (3 of 3)
Arizona
[ ar-uh-zoh-nuh ]
/ ˌær əˈzoʊ nə /
noun
a state in SW United States. 113,909 sq. mi. (295,025 sq. km). Capital: Phoenix. Abbreviation: AZ (for use with zip code), Ariz.
OTHER WORDS FROM Arizona
Ar·izo·nan, Ar·i·zo·ni·an [ar-uh-zoh-nee-uh n] /ˌær əˈzoʊ ni ən/, adjective, nounExample sentences from the Web for phoenix
British Dictionary definitions for phoenix (1 of 4)
phoenix
US phenix
/ (ˈfiːnɪks) /
noun
a legendary Arabian bird said to set fire to itself and rise anew from the ashes every 500 years
a person or thing of surpassing beauty or quality
Word Origin for phoenix
Old English
fenix, via Latin from Greek
phoinix; identical in form with Greek
Phoinix Phoenician, purple
British Dictionary definitions for phoenix (2 of 4)
Phoenix
1
/ (ˈfiːnɪks) /
noun Latin genitive Phoenices (ˈfiːnɪˌsiːz)
a constellation in the S hemisphere lying between Grus and Eridanus
British Dictionary definitions for phoenix (3 of 4)
Phoenix
2
/ (ˈfiːnɪks) /
noun
a city in central Arizona, capital city of the state, on the Salt River. Pop: 1 388 416 (2003 est)
British Dictionary definitions for phoenix (4 of 4)
Arizona
/ (ˌærɪˈzəʊnə) /
noun
a state of the southwestern US: consists of the Colorado plateau in the northeast, including the Grand Canyon, divided from desert in the southwest by mountains rising over 3750 m (12 500 ft). Capital: Phoenix. Pop: 5 580 811 (2003 est). Area: 293 750 sq km (113 417 sq miles)
Abbreviation: Ariz., (with zip code) AZ
Cultural definitions for phoenix (1 of 3)
phoenix
[ (fee-niks) ]
A mythical bird that periodically burned itself to death and emerged from the ashes as a new phoenix. According to most stories, the rebirth of the phoenix happened every five hundred years. Only one phoenix lived at a time.
notes for phoenix
To “rise like a phoenix from the ashes” is to overcome a seemingly insurmountable setback.
Cultural definitions for phoenix (2 of 3)
Cultural definitions for phoenix (3 of 3)
Arizona
State in the southwestern United States bordered by Utah to the north, New Mexico to the east, Mexico to the south, and California and Nevada to the west. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix.
notes for Arizona
The
Grand Canyon is in northwestern Arizona.