sphinx

About 0.89 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. noun A creature with the head of a person and the body of an animal, commonly a lion.
2. noun A person who keeps their thoughts and intentions secret; an enigmatic or impassive person.
3. noun A mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx), formerly classified as a baboon, and called sphinx baboon.
4. noun A sphinx moth.
5. noun A sphincter.
6. verb To decorate with sphinxes.

   a marble sphinxed chimney-piece

7. verb 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.

8. verb To be inscrutable, often through silence.

Similar words

moth andro mandrillus moths hieracosphinx criosphinx satyral manticore sphynx leogryph

Often followed by

and of is in was at moth with to

Word family

Sphinx Sphinxes sphinges sphinxes sphinxlike