noun pl. sphinxes or sphinges
- Gr. Myth.
- a winged monster with a lion's body and the head and breasts of a woman
- a sphinx at Thebes that strangles passersby who are unable to guess its riddle
- any ancient Egyptian statue or figure having, typically, the body of a lion and the head of a man, ram, or hawk
- a huge statue having the body of a lion and the head of a man, at Gîza, near Cairo, Egypt
- a person who is difficult to know or understand
- Zool. hawk moth
Origin:
ME spynx < L sphinx < Gr, lit., the strangler < sphingein: see sphincter