■ noun
1》 an ancient Egyptian stone figure having a lion's body and a human or animal head.
2》 an enigmatic or inscrutable person.
3》 North American term for hawkmoth .
Origin
ME: via L. from Gk Sphinx (appar. from sphingein 'draw tight'), the name of a winged monster in Greek mythology, having a woman's head and a lion's body, who propounded a riddle and killed those who failed to solve it.