/fay"langks, fal"angks/ , n. , pl. phalanxes or, for 7, phalanges /feuh lan"jeez/ , v.
n.
1. (in ancient Greece) a group of heavily armed infantry formed in ranks and files close and deep, with shields joined and long spears overlapping.
2. any body of troops in close array.
3. a number of individuals, esp. persons united for a common purpose.
4. a compact or closely massed body of persons, animals, or things.
5. Mil. ( cap. ) a radar-controlled U.S. Navy 20mm Gatling-type gun deployed on ships as a last line of defense against antiship cruise missiles.
6. (in Fourierism) a group of about 1800 persons, living together and holding their property in common.
7. Anat. , Zool. any of the bones of the fingers or toes. See diag. under skeleton .
v.i.
8. Print. to arrange the distribution of work in a shop as evenly as possible.
[ 1545-55; phálanx military formation, bone of finger or toe, wooden roller ]