phalanx

noun

pha·​lanx ˈfā-ˌlaŋ(k)s 

 British usually  ˈfa-

plural phalanxes or phalanges fə-ˈlan-(ˌ)jēz 

fā-,

ˈfā-ˌ,

 British usually  fa-

1

: a body of heavily armed infantry in ancient Greece formed in close deep ranks and files

broadly : a body of troops in close array

2

plural phalanges : one of the digital bones of the hand or foot of a vertebrate

3

plural usually phalanxes

a

: a massed arrangement of persons, animals, or things

a phalanx of armed guards

b

: an organized body of persons

a phalanx of lawyers

Did you know?

The original sense of phalanx refers to a military formation that was used in ancient warfare and consisted of a tight block of soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder, several rows deep, often with shields joined. The word phalanx comes from the Greeks, though they were not the only ones who used this formation. The Greek term literally means "log" and was used for both this line of battle and for a bone in a finger or toe. The word and its senses passed into Latin and then were adopted into English in the 16th century. These days, a phalanx can be any arranged mass, whether of persons, animals, or things, or a body of people organized in a particular effort.

Examples of phalanx in a Sentence

A solid phalanx of armed guards stood in front of the castle.

She had to go through a phalanx of television cameras.

Recent Examples on the Web

To propel this agenda, Trump’s team is eager to install a phalanx of political appointees right away. —Jon D. Michaels, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024

Standing before a phalanx of cameras and reporters at SAG-AFTRA’s Wilshire Boulevard headquarters on July 13, the TV star scolded Hollywood’s celebrated executives for bowing to Wall Street values while leaving lower-level workers behind. —Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2024

The Bitter End, originally opened as a coffeehouse by club-owner-cum-film-producer Fred Weintraub in 1961, attracted a phalanx of young musicians needing to be heard. —Lisa Ellex, SPIN, 3 June 2024

Elevators whisked us to the 25th floor reception, where a phalanx of hotel staff was ready to address our every question and need, from how to get to the T Galleria department store to scoring a reservation at a nearby restaurant and a babysitter to watch the kids. —Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Dec. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Latin phalang-, phalanx, from Greek, battle line, digital bone, literally, log — more at balk entry 2

First Known Use

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

phalanx

noun

pha·​lanx ˈfā-ˌlaŋ(k)s 

plural phalanxes or phalanges fə-ˈlan-(ˌ)jēz 

fā-

1

: a body of heavily armed infantry of ancient Greece

2

plural phalanges : one of the bones of a finger or toe of a vertebrate

Medical Definition

phalanx

noun

pha·​lanx

ˈfā-ˌlaŋ(k)s, British usually ˈfal-ˌaŋ(k)s

plural phalanges

fə-ˈlan-(ˌ)jēz, fā-, ˈfā-ˌ, British usually fal-ˈan-

: any of the digital bones of the hand or foot distal to the metacarpus or metatarsus of a vertebrate that in humans are three to each finger and toe with the exception of the thumb and big toe which have only two each