Definition of sphinx
noun
1 (Sphinx) Greek Mythology a winged monster of Thebes, having a woman’s head and a lion’s body. It propounded a riddle about the three ages of man, killing those who failed to solve it, until Oedipus was successful, whereupon the Sphinx committed suicide. (
the Sphinx)
an ancient Egyptian stone figure having a lion’s body and a human or animal head, especially the huge statue near the Pyramids at Giza. (usually sphinx) an enigmatic or inscrutable person.
2 (also sphinx moth)another term for hawk moth.
Remember that
sphinx is spelled with
sph- at the beginning.
