(~es)
1.
A ~ is an imaginary bird which, according to ancient stories, burns itself to ashes every five hundred years and is then born again.
N-COUNT: usu sing
2.
If you describe someone or something as a ~, you mean that they return again after seeming to disappear or be destroyed. (LITERARY)
Out of the ashes of the economic shambles, a ~ of recovery can arise.
N-SING