Sekirov Dictionary

sphinx

/ˈsfɪŋks/

noun 5
verb 4
forms 6

noun5

•
A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
- [W]hatsoe'er of strange / Sculptured on alabaster obelisk, / Or jasper tomb, or mutilated sphynx, / Dark Aethiopia in her desert hills. / Conceals. — 1815
(figurative) A person who keeps their thoughts and intentions secret; an enigmatic or impassive person.
A sphinx moth.
(old-fashioned) A mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), formerly classified as a baboon, and called sphinx baboon.
•
(euphemistic, rare) A sphincter.
- Constance said boastfully, ‘My sphinxes are strong and in good repair. I order you to come.’ — 1982

verb4

•
To adopt the posture of the Sphinx.
- A hot lion with a very bloated stomach … will adopt either a sphinxed or a squatting posture which takes some of the weight off its belly.
- Several animals maintained either a crouched … or a sphinxing posture (abdomen on the floor)
•
To be inscrutable, often through silence.
- The sphinxèd riddle of the Universe, Nature's unsolved enigma, who may prove? — 1900
To behave in a manner characteristic of the Sphinx.
•
To decorate with sphinxes.
- a marble sphinxed chimney-piece

forms

sphinxed · sphinxing · sphinxes · Sphinges · Sphinxes · sphinges

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