1 (plural phalanxes) a body of troops or police officers standing or moving in close formation:six hundred marchers set off, led by a phalanx of police
a group of people or things of a similar type forming a compact body:he headed past the phalanx of waiting reporters to the line of limos
(in ancient Greece) a body of Macedonian infantry drawn up in close order with shields touching and long spears overlapping.
2 (plural phalanges /fəˈlan(d)ʒiːz/) Anatomy a bone of the finger or toe.
Origin:
mid 16th century (denoting a body of Macedonian infantry): via Latin from Greek
phalanx in other Oxford dictionaries
Definition of phalanx in the US English dictionary
