Meaning of Sphinx | Babel Free

Definitions

1. An ancient, large statue in Egypt, with the face of a man and the body of a lion, lying near the Great Pyramids.
2. Alternative letter-case form of sphinx (“a sculpture representing the Theban Sphinx”)
   alt-of
3. A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
4. A person who keeps their thoughts and intentions secret; an enigmatic or impassive person.
   figuratively
5. One of the many offspring of Typhon and Echidna, a winged lion-like creature with a woman's face, who dwelt near the city of Thebes in Boeotia and terrorized travelers by posing riddles, killing those who failed to answer correctly; after Oedipus solved her riddle, she committed suicide out of frustration.
   Greek
6. A mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), formerly classified as a baboon, and called sphinx baboon.
   dated
7. A sphinx moth.
8. A sphincter.
   euphemistic, rare

Equivalents

Examples

“[W]hatsoe'er of strange / Sculptured on alabaster obelisk, / Or jasper tomb, or mutilated sphynx, / Dark Æthiopia in her desert hills. / Conceals.”

“...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.”

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

“In the third, which leadeth to the fonts and walkes, are two Sphinges very curiouſly carued in braſſe […]”

CEFR level