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 most significant bird here, however, isn’t a phoenix. —Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 24 Nov. 2023

But a mysterious woman named Ash soon challenges his worldview, unlocking a potential of harmony rooted in a winding mythology of phoenixes and fire. —Katie Bain, Billboard, 4 Oct. 2023

Where and when the phoenix will rise in a city made famous by the Gold Rush and the dot-com bubble is a question that will likely not be answered for years. —Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2023

The brand new emoji are a head shaking horizontally, a head shaking vertically, a phoenix, a lime, a brown mushroom, and a broken chain, according to Emojipedia. —Jay Peters, The Verge, 14 Sep. 2023

The school’s athletic teams (the school mascot is a phoenix) compete in several Division 1 sports. —Stephen Pastis, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2023

Reddit users on r/phoenix noticed a message on Fry’s website advising of new rules. —The Arizona Republic, 7 Aug. 2023

The city’s official symbol, a phoenix rising from the flaming ashes, seems even more hopeful today. —Thomas Fuller, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2023

Like the phoenix rising from the ashes, CNN is heading back to streaming after the demise of CNN+. —Justin Curto, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2023

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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