Dictionary Definition
Phoenix
Noun
1 the state capital and largest city of Arizona;
situated in a former desert that has become a prosperous
agricultural center thanks to irrigation [syn: capital
of Arizona]
2 a large monocotyledonous genus of
pinnate-leaved palms found in Asia and Africa [syn: genus
Phoenix]
3 a legendary Arabian bird said to periodically
burn itself to death and emerge from the ashes as a new phoenix;
according to most versions only one phoenix lived at a time and it
renewed itself every 500 years
4 a constellation in the southern hemisphere near
Tucana and Sculptor
User Contributed Dictionary
Etymology
From phoenix, from (phoinix), the mythical bird first described here:-
- ''There is also another sacred bird called the phœnix which I did not myself see except in painting, for in truth he comes to them very rarely, at intervals, as the people of Heliopolis say, of five hundred years; and these say that he comes regularly when his father dies; and if he be like the painting, he is of this size and nature, that is to say, some of his feathers are of gold colour and others red, and in outline and size he is as nearly as possible like an eagle. This bird they say (but I cannot believe the story) contrives as follows:--setting forth from Arabia he conveys his father, they say, to the temple of the Sun (Helios) plastered up in myrrh, and buries him in the temple of the Sun; and he conveys him thus:--he forms first an egg of myrrh as large as he is able to carry, and then he makes trial of carrying it, and when he has made trial sufficiently, then he hollows out the egg and places his father within it and plasters over with other myrrh that part of the egg where he hollowed it out to put his father in, and when his father is laid in it, it proves (they say) to be of the same weight as it was; and after he has plastered it up, he conveys the whole to Egypt to the temple of the Sun. Thus they say that this bird does. — Herodotus, The Histories'', Book II:73 (G.C. Macaulay translation).
Pronunciation
- , /ˈfiːnɪks/, /"fi:nIks/
- Rhymes with: -iːnɪks
Noun
- A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making, ignited by the sun. It then arises anew from the ashes.
- Anything that is reborn after apparently being destroyed. Usually used as a simile. Astronomers believe planets might form in this dead star's disk, like the mythical Phoenix rising up out of the ashes.
Translations
mythological bird
- Chinese: 凤凰(fenghuang)
- Croatian: feniks, žar-ptica
- Danish: føniks
- Dutch: feniks
- Esperanto: fenikso
- Finnish: feeniks
- French: phénix
- German: Phönix
- Greek: φοίνικας (foínikas)
- Icelandic: fönix
- Italian: fenice
- Japanese: (fushichō), (fenikkusu)
- Korean: 불사조 [不死鳥] (bulsajo)
- Maltese: Feniċju
- Norwegian: føniks, ildfugl
- Polish: feniks
- Portuguese: fênix (Brazil), fénix (Portugal)
- Romanian: fenix
- Russian: феникс /f'éniks/
- Slovak: fénix
- Slovene: feniks
- Spanish: fénix
- Swedish: fenix
- Welsh: ffenics
anything reborn after apparently being destroyed
Latin
Noun
- a phoenix
Inflection
Extensive Definition
Phoenix most often refers to:
- Phoenix (mythology), a mythical bird that dies in flames and is reborn from the ashes
- Phoenix, Arizona, a large city in the United States
- Phoenix (spacecraft), a spacecraft that landed in the north polar region of Mars
Phoenix may also refer to:
Arts, literature, entertainment
Comics
- Phoenix
(comics), a fictional cosmic entity in the Marvel Comics
universe, and the associated characters:
- "Phoenix", alias of Marvel Comics character Jean Grey
- "Phoenix", alias of Marvel Comics character Rachel Grey
- Phoenix (manga), a manga by Osamu Tezuka (original Japanese title: Hi no Tori)
- Phoenix Ikki, a character from the manga Saint Seiya
Films
- Phoenix (film), a 1998 film starring Ray Liotta and Anjelica Huston
- The Flight of the Phoenix, a 1964 novel, 1965 film, and 2004 remake.
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film), the fifth movie based on the Harry Potter book series
- The name assigned by the Nazis to the Stealth bomber airplane in the 1993 film, The Philadelphia Experiment II.
Television
- Phoenix (TV series), a 1992-1993 Australian police drama
- The Phoenix (2004 TV series), an MBC Korean drama starring Eric Mun
- The Phoenix (1982 TV series), a short-lived American science fiction series starring Judson Scott
- Phoenix Television, a Hong Kong based television broadcaster
- Phoenix (German TV station), a German publicly-funded television station
- Phoenix (Star Trek), the name of two fictional spacecraft in the Star Trek universe
- Phoenix Foundation, a non-profit think tank and government contractor from tv-series MacGyver. Later in the series the employer of the eponymous title character.
- Phoenix Organization, a semi-scientific, semi-occult group conducting research into near-death experiences in the television series John Doe
- Phoenix Nights, a British sitcom
- The Phoenix is the fifth Daedalus class battlecruiser in the television series Stargate Atlantis
- Phoenix (American Gladiator) Character on the television show American Gladiators.
Literature
- The Phoenix, a 1999 play written by Morgan Spurlock
- de Ave Phoenice, a poem attributed to Lactantius
- The Phoenix (novel), a 2000 German historical novel by Henning Boëtius
- The Phoenix on the Sword, a Conan the Barbarian story by Robert E. Howard.
- The Phoenix and the Turtle, an enigmatic poem by William Shakespeare
- Phoenix (novel), a fantasy novel by Stephen Brust
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a 2003 novel by J.K. Rowling
- David and the Phoenix, children's book by Edward Ormondroyd
- The Phoenix (play), a 1603-4 play by Thomas Middleton
- The Phoenix Nest, a 1593 anthology of poetry with numerous noted contributors
Magazines and journals
- The Phoenix (art journal), edited by James Cooney and Henry Miller
- The Phoenix (magazine), an Irish news and satire magazine
- Phoenix (classics journal), a Canadian classics journal
- Phoenix (literary magazine), a Russian samizdat journal published by Yuri Galanskov
- Phoenix (Austrian magazine) a neo-Nazi Austrian magazine
Newspapers
- The Phoenix (newspaper), a collective name of alternative weekly newspapers in Boston, Massachusetts; Providence, Rhode Island; and Portland, Maine
- Loyola Phoenix, a newspaper of Loyola University Chicago
- The Phoenix, a student newspaper of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
- The Phoenix, a student conservative journal of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Music
- Phoenix Metropolitan Men's Chorus, a singing ensemble representing Phoenix's gay and lesbian population
- Phoenix (band), a French pop/rock band
- Transsylvania Phoenix, a Romanian band
- Phoenix Radio, a Greek internet radio station
- Phoenix (Grand Funk Railroad album), a 1972 album by Grand Funk Railroad
- Phoenix (Labelle album), a 1975 album by Labelle
- Phoenix (Dan Fogelberg album), a 1980 album by Dan Fogelberg
- The Days of the Phoenix EP, a 2001 album by AFI, and also a song on that album
- Phoenix (Pink Turns Blue album), a 2005 album by Pink Turns Blue
- The Phoenix (Lyfe Jennings album), a 2006 album by Lyfe Jennings
- Phoenix (Agathodaimon album), a 2008 album by Agathodaimon
- Phoenix (Asia album), a 2008 album by Asia
- Phoenix (Zebrahead album), a 2008 album by Zebrahead
- "Phoenix", a song on the 1970 Wishbone Ash album Wishbone Ash
- "Phoenix", a song on the 1997 Daft Punk album Homework
- "Phoenix", a song on the 2000 Stratovarius album Infinite
- "Phoenix", a song on the 2004 The Prodigy album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned
- "The Phoenix Effect", a song on the 2007 Delta-S album Voyage to Isis
Sports
- Phoenix Champ Car Grand Prix, a car race in downtown Phoenix, Arizona
- Phoenix Coyotes, an NHL hockey team based in Phoenix, Arizona
- Phoenix Finance, attempted to enter Formula 1 in 2002, after buying some of the assets of the defunct Prost team.
- Phoenix Suns, an NBA basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona
- Phoenix Mercury, a WNBA basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona
- Phoenix International Raceway, a race track in Phoenix, Arizona
- Elon Phoenix, the intercollegiate athletic teams for Elon University
- Manchester Phoenix, a British ice hockey club playing in the Elite Ice Hockey League
- Wellington Phoenix FC, a football (soccer) club from New Zealand which plays in the Australian A-League
- Yorkshire Phoenix, the name for Yorkshire County Cricket Club in one-day games
- Phoenix Baia Mare, a football club in Romania
- Phoenix Racing, a NASCAR team owned by James Finch
- Phoenix, a sports festival organised by the Recreation Committee of The National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Surathkal, India
- University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) Phoenix
- Phoenix Cricket Club, a cricket club in Dublin, Ireland
- Melbourne Phoenix, an Australian national netball team based in Melbourne, Australia
Video and arcade games
- Phoenix, character in the F-Zero video games
- Phoenix (arcade game), a 1980 arcade game
- Phoenix Wright, title character of a lawyer simulation visual novel game
- Fenix (StarCraft), a hero from Starcraft
- Marcus Fenix, the main character Gears of War
- Phoenix, a fast muscle car in the Grand Theft Auto series
Astronomy and space exploration
- Phoenix (constellation), a minor southern constellation
- Phoenix Dwarf, a small galaxy
- Phoenix (spacecraft), a NASA mission to Mars, launched in 2007
- EADS Phoenix, a proposed unmanned European reusable launch vehicle
- Project Phoenix (SETI), a search for extraterrestrial intelligence by listening for radio signals
Biology
- Phoenix (plant), genus of trees within the palm family Arecaceae (including the Date Palm)
- Phoenix (chicken), a breed of chicken from Japan
Companies
- Phoenix AG, an industrial company based in Hamburg, Germany producing industrial rubber-based products
- Phoenix Motorcars, a California-based company that focuses on developing electric vehicles
- Phoenix Natural Gas, a utility company in Northern Ireland
- Phoenix Pharmahandel, a pharmaceutical company based in Mannheim, Germany
- Phoenix Venture Holdings, a British company
- Phoenix (automobile), a defunct British automobile company
Computing
- Phoenix (compiler framework), a framework from Microsoft
- Phoenix Object Basic, a software-based objective programming language
- Phoenix (computer), an IBM mainframe at Cambridge University
- Phoenix Technologies, a BIOS manufacturer
- Mozilla Firefox, a web browser that was previously known as Phoenix
Maritime (civil) ships and boats
- Phoenix (boat), steamship built 1806-07, the first steamboat to sail the open ocean
- Phoenix (ship) or Phenix, a whaling vessel based in Nantucket (1821-1858), discoverer of Winslow Reef
- Phoenix (of London), nineteenth century whaling vessel based in London and active in the Pacific in the 1820s, discoverer of Phoenix Island (Rawaki)
- , whaler of New London, sunk in the Stone Fleet, 1861
- Phoenix of New Bedford, whaler
- Phoenix (Moore), Captain Hugh Moore. British East India ship, wintered in the Columbia River in 1794
- Phoenix (Alaska) the first ship built in the Russian colony of Alaska (1794-1799)
- Sao Jao y Fenix, also known as Fenis and St. Joseph, a 50-foot open boat involved in the Vancouver Expedition
- Phoenix (tall ship), of Dell Quay
Military, naval and air forces
Ships
- HMS Phoenix, the name of fifteen ships in the Royal Navy
- USS Phoenix, the name of several ships in United States Navy
Others
- AIM-54 Phoenix, a long-range air-to-air missile
- HMT-302 - United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron known as the Phoenix.
- Phoenix breakwaters, components of a Mulberry harbour
- Phoenix Program, CIA program in Vietnam to neutralize the noncombatant infrastructure of Viet Cong (VCI) cadres
- Phoenix (UAV), an unmanned air vehicle operated by the Royal Artillery
- Project Phoenix (South Africa), the name of the South African National Defence Force programme to revive its Reserve Force
Mythology
- Phoenix (mythology), a mythical bird that dies in flames and is reborn from the ashes
- Fenghuang, the Asian phoenix
- Phoenix (Iliad), a character in the Iliad, tutor of Achilles and father of Adonis; or a different character in Greek mythology, brother of Europa and Cadmus
- Phoenix (son of Agenor), in Greek mythology was a son of Agenor
People
- Beth Phoenix, a professional wrestler
- Joaquin Phoenix (born 1974), American actor
- Lauren Phoenix (born 1979), Canadian pornographic actress
- Lena Phoenix, author
- River Phoenix (1970–1993), American actor
- "Phoenix", the handle of Nahshon Even-Chaim (born 1971), convicted Australian computer hacker
- "The Phoenix", an alias for professional wrestler Jody Fleisch (born 1980)
- "Phoenix", the stage name of Dave Farrell, bass guitarist in Linkin Park
- Simon Phoenix, a fictional character in the film Demolition Man
Places
- Phoenix, Mauritius, a town on Mauritius
- Phoenix Islands, a sparsely populated island chain in Kiribati
- Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland
- Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto
- Phoenix Cinema, the oldest continuously-running cinema in London
In the United States:
Other uses
- Phénix, a prototype fast breeder nuclear reactor in France
- Phoenix Patrol Challenge, the national scoutcraft competition of Scouting Ireland
- Phoenix Project, a Virginia-based nonprofit
- Greek phoenix, first modern Greek currency
- Order of the Phoenix (Greek order), a modern Greek order
- Bristol Phoenix, a diesel-powered aircraft engine
- Phoenix (roller coaster), a roller coaster in Knoebels amusement park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania
- Phoenix LRT Station, a Singaporean Light-rail (LRT) station operated by SMRT
- University of Phoenix, a university in the United States of America
- Phoenix Lights, one of the most witnessed UFO sightings ever
- La Fenice or "The Phoenix", a famous opera house in Venice, Italy
- Phoenix codes, police radio shorthand
- Chrysler Phoenix engine, an upcoming V6 engines family planned at Chrysler for 2010
- Pontiac Phoenix, American automobile
phoenix in Catalan: Phoenix
phoenix in Czech: Phoenix
phoenix in Danish: Føniks (flertydig)
phoenix in German: Phönix
phoenix in Modern Greek (1453-): Φοίνικας
phoenix in Esperanto: Fenikso
phoenix in Spanish: Phoenix
(desambiguación)
phoenix in Finnish: Feeniks
(täsmennyssivu)
phoenix in French: Phoenix
phoenix in Hebrew: פניקס
phoenix in Croatian: Phoenix
phoenix in Hungarian: Főnix (egyértelműsítő
lap)
phoenix in Indonesian: Phoenix
phoenix in Italian: Phoenix
phoenix in Japanese: フェニックス (曖昧さ回避)
phoenix in Korean: 피닉스
phoenix in Kurdish: Phoenix
phoenix in Lithuanian: Feniksas (reikšmės)
phoenix in Latvian: Phoenix
phoenix in Dutch: Phoenix
phoenix in Norwegian: Phoenix (andre
betydninger)
phoenix in Polish: Feniks
(ujednoznacznienie)
phoenix in Portuguese: Phoenix
phoenix in Romanian: Phoenix
(dezambiguizare)
phoenix in Russian: Феникс (значения)
phoenix in Slovak: Phoenix
phoenix in Swedish: Phoenix
phoenix in Thai: ฟีนิกซ์
phoenix in Volapük:
Phoenix