[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/sphinx/)

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# sphinx

noun (a sphinx, sphinxes or sphinges; the Sphinx)

«sphinx» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. The Great Sphinx is a huge ancient stone statue in Egypt with a lion's body and a human head, near the pyramids of Giza. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#m1)
2. A sphinx is any statue or creature in myths with a lion's body and a human (or other animal's) head. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#m2)
3. In Greek myths, the Sphinx was a monster who asked travellers a riddle and ate those who got it wrong. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#m3)
4. A sphinx is a person who is mysterious and hard to read. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#m4)
5. A Sphynx is a hairless breed of cat (spelled with a «y»). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#m5)

### In the lessons

In history lessons on Ancient Egypt and Greece. The Greek Sphinx's riddle is a famous puzzle: «What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon and three in the evening?» The answer: a human (crawling baby, adult, old person with a stick). Phrases: «the Great Sphinx», «the riddle of the Sphinx», «sphinx-like smile».

### Examples

- The Great Sphinx guards the pyramids at Giza. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#x1)
- The Sphinx has a lion's body and a human head. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#x2)
- Oedipus solved the riddle of the Sphinx. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#x3)
- The Sphinx's nose has been missing for hundreds of years. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#x4)
- She gave a sphinx-like smile and said nothing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#x5)
- A Sphynx cat has no fur and feels warm like a peach. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#x6)
- We built a model sphinx from clay. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#x7)
- The Sphinx was an ancient Egyptian divinity, who personified wisdom, and the fertility of nature. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/#x8)

### Note

Capital S for the famous statue or the Greek monster: the Sphinx. Plural: sphinxes. The cat breed is spelled «Sphynx». Myth: the story that Napoleon's soldiers shot off the nose is not supported by evidence; it was damaged earlier.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «sphinx» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/sphinx/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«sphinx» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/sphinx.html) on Mova free.