sphinx
part of speech
noun (a sphinx, sphinxes or sphinges; the Sphinx)
meaning for a pupil
1) The Great Sphinx is a huge ancient stone statue in Egypt with a lion's body and a human head, near the pyramids of Giza. tree →
2) A sphinx is any statue or creature in myths with a lion's body and a human (or other animal's) head. tree →
3) In Greek myths, the Sphinx was a monster who asked travellers a riddle and ate those who got it wrong. tree →
4) A sphinx is a person who is mysterious and hard to read. tree →
5) A Sphynx is a hairless breed of cat (spelled with a «y»). tree →
sense in the lessons
In history lessons on Ancient Egypt and Greece. The Greek Sphinx's riddle is a famous puzzle: «What walks on four legs in the morning, two at noon and three in the evening?» The answer: a human (crawling baby, adult, old person with a stick). Phrases: «the Great Sphinx», «the riddle of the Sphinx», «sphinx-like smile».
examples
- The Great Sphinx guards the pyramids at Giza. tree →
- The Sphinx has a lion's body and a human head. tree →
- Oedipus solved the riddle of the Sphinx. tree →
- The Sphinx's nose has been missing for hundreds of years. tree →
- She gave a sphinx-like smile and said nothing. tree →
- A Sphynx cat has no fur and feels warm like a peach. tree →
- We built a model sphinx from clay. tree →
- The Sphinx was an ancient Egyptian divinity, who personified wisdom, and the fertility of nature. tree →
note
Capital S for the famous statue or the Greek monster: the Sphinx. Plural: sphinxes. The cat breed is spelled «Sphynx». Myth: the story that Napoleon's soldiers shot off the nose is not supported by evidence; it was damaged earlier.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «sphinx» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.