ˈsfiŋ(k)s noun
Etymology: Middle English Spynx the sphinx of Thebes who according to Greek legend destroyed all passers who could not solve the riddle she proposed until Oedipus guessed it and caused the sphinx to kill herself, from Latin Sphinx, from Greek, the sphinx of Thebes, person resembling the sphinx; akin to Greek sphingein to bind fast; probably from the spell she cast — more at sphincter
1. plural sphinx·es -iŋ(k)sə̇z or sphin·ges -inˌjēz
a. : an enigmatic monster in ancient Greek mythology having typically a lion's body, wings, and the head and bust of a woman ; also : a monster resembling a Grecian sphinx in appearance or character
b. : a person who resembles the sphinx of ancient Greece especially in enigmatic or inscrutable character or in speaking enigmatically
2. plural sphinxes or sphinges : an ancient Egyptian image in the form of a recumbent lion having a man's head, a ram's head, or a hawk's head
3.
[New Latin, from Latin Sphinx ]
a. capitalized : the type genus of Sphingidae formerly coextensive with the family but now including only a few hawkmoths with larvae that often assume a position suggestive of the Egyptian sphinx
b. plural sphinges also sphinxes : any moth of the genus Sphinx or family Sphingidae : hawkmoth
4. plural sphinxes or sphinges : a grayish yellowish brown that is darker than deer and slightly darker than acorn — called also mustang
5. plural sphinxes or sphinges
[Latin, an ape, perhaps chimpanzee, from Greek, an ape, from Sphinx ]
: sphinx baboon