n.
Pronunciation: ' f ā - ˌ la ŋ (k)s, Brit usu ' fa-
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural pha · lanx · es or pha · lan · ges \ f ə - ' lan-( ˌ )j ē z, f ā -, ' f ā - ˌ , Brit usu fa- \
Etymology: Latin phalang-, phalanx, from Greek, battle line, digital bone, literally, log ― more at BALK
Date: 1553
1 : a body of heavily armed infantry in ancient Greece formed in close deep ranks and files broadly : a body of troops in close array
2 plural phalanges : one of the digital bones of the hand or foot of a vertebrate
3 plural usually phalanxes a : a massed arrangement of persons, animals, or things <a phalanx of armed guards> b : an organized body of persons <a phalanx of lawyers>