Phoenician

1 of 2

noun (1)

Phoe·​ni·​cian fi-ˈnē-shən  -ˈni- 

1

: a native or inhabitant of ancient Phoenicia

2

: the Semitic language of ancient Phoenicia

Phoenician adjective

phoenix

2 of 2

noun (2)

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 Phoenician in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Ayoade was recently seen on film in Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme and The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar. — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 15 June 2026

One of the oldest cities on the Mediterranean coast, Tyre, in antiquity, was at various times Phoenician, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine. — Khaled Wassef, CBS News, 8 June 2026

Noun

This time, however, Kehlani gives the record new life like a phoenix rising from the ashes while also saying goodbye to it. — Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 28 June 2026

Yet the Atlanta Paralympics mascot was dazzling, a glorious phoenix arising from its own ashes. — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

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

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for Phoenician

• accretion
• completion
• concretion
• deletion
• depletion
• excretion
• repletion
• secretion
• carburetion
• grecian
• hypersecretion

Kids Definition

Phoenician

noun

Phoe·​ni·​cian fi-ˈnish-ən  -ˈnē-shən 

1

: a person born or living in ancient Phoenicia

2

: the Semitic language of ancient Phoenicia

Phoenician adjective

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