phoenix

noun

phoe·​nix ˈfē-niks 

: a legendary bird which according to one account lived 500 years, burned itself to ashes on a pyre, and rose alive from the ashes to live another period

also : a person or thing likened to the phoenix

phoenixlike

ˈfē-niks-ˌlīk 

adjective

Examples of phoenix in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The torn, not ripped, jeans in the clip package seem to hint at her hit song, as well, and the phoenix on the guitar could suggest Firebird, her most recent LP. —Marah Eakin, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024

Read the full Leo Daily Horoscope Virgo (August 23 - September 22) Feel like a phoenix about to burst into flames? —USA TODAY, 16 Oct. 2024

The lime emoji in Unicode 15.1 was actually a lemon emoji combined with the color green; the phoenix was a regular bird joined to the fire emoji. —Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 12 Sep. 2024

Just like the phoenix, Jack Black says Tenacious D will rise again. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 7 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English fenix, from Old English, from Latin phoenix, from Greek phoinix

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

phoenix

noun

phoe·​nix ˈfē-niks 

: a legendary bird which was thought to live for 500 years, burn itself to death, and then rise newborn from the ashes

Geographical Definition

Phoenix

geographical name

Phoe·​nix ˈfē-niks 

city on the Salt River in Arizona population 1,445,632

Note: Phoenix is Arizona's capital and its most populous city.

Phoenician

fē-ˈni-shən 

noun