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phenomenon

Pronunciation: /fɪˈnɒmɪnən/
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Definition of phenomenon

noun (plural phenomena /-nə/)

  • 1a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question:glaciers are interesting natural phenomena
  • 2 Philosophy the object of a person’s perception.
  • 3a remarkable person or thing: the band was a pop phenomenon just for their sales figures alone

Origin:

late 16th century: via late Latin from Greek phainomenon 'thing appearing to view', based on phainein 'to show'

The word phenomenon comes from Greek, and its plural form is phenomena, as in these phenomena are not fully understood. It is a mistake to treat phenomena as if it were a singular form, as in this is a strange phenomena.

phenomenon in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of phenomenon in the US English dictionary
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