noun pl. sphinxes sphinx′es or sphinges sphin′·ges′ (sfin′jēz′)

1. Gr. Myth.
   1. a winged monster with a lion's body and the head and breasts of a woman
   2. a sphinx at Thebes that strangles passersby who are unable to guess its riddle
2. 1. any ancient Egyptian statue or figure having, typically, the body of a lion and the head of a man, ram, or hawk
   2. a huge statue having the body of a lion and the head of a man, at Gîza, near Cairo, Egypt
3. a person who is difficult to know or understand
4. Zool. hawk moth

Etymology: ME spynx < L sphinx < Gr, lit., the strangler < sphingein: see sphincter