Word of the Day 7.8.9

phalanx

pha·lanx (flngks, flngks)

n. pl. pha·lanx·es or pha·lan·ges (f-lnjz, f-)

1. A compact or close-knit body of people: “formed a solid phalanx in defense of the Constitution and Protestant religion” (G.M. Trevelyan).

2. A formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears, developed by Philip II of Macedon and used by Alexander the Great.

3. pl. phalanges Anatomy A bone of a finger or toe. Also called phalange.

4. See phalanstery.

[Latin phalanx, phalang-, from Greek.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Noun

1.

phalanx – any of the bones of the fingers or toes

bone, os – rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates

dactyl, digit – a finger or toe in human beings or corresponding body part in other vertebrates

2.

phalanx – any closely ranked crowd of people

crowd – a large number of things or people considered together; “a crowd of insects assembled around the flowers”

3.

phalanx – a body of troops in close array

military force, military group, military unit, force – a unit that is part of some military service; “he sent Caesar a force of six thousand men”

armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine – the military forces of a nation; “their military is the largest in the region”; “the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker”

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

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Posted on July 8, 2009 by admin

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