phi

\ ˈfī

How to pronounce phi (audio)

\

Definition of phi

: the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet — see Alphabet Table

Examples of phi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This term is called the Euler phi function after its inventor, the 18th-century mathematician Leonhard Euler. — Quanta Magazine, "New Proof Settles How to Approximate Numbers Like Pi," 14 Aug. 2019 Other things that have zero phi, according to Tononi, include collectives of sentient individuals, such as corporations or the United States. — Jason Pontin, WIRED, "How Do You Know You Are Reading This?," 2 Apr. 2018 CLE +250 LAL +275 BOS +700 HOU/SAS +1000 MIN +1400 PHI +1600 MIA +2500 GSW +2800 — OddsShark (@OddsShark) August 17, 2017 3. — Charles Curtis, USA TODAY, "Why the Cavaliers aren't trading LeBron James," 18 Aug. 2017 Phi, to put it in numbers, is: Phi = φ = 1.61803398874989484820458683436563811772… and so on. — Curtis Silver, WIRED, "The Sound of Phi (the Golden Ratio)," 18 June 2012

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phi.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about phi

Dictionary Entries near phi

Statistics for phi

Cite this Entry

“Phi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phi. Accessed 10 Jul. 2020.

WORD OF THE DAY

histrionic

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.