Phalanx

English

Noun

Phalanx (plural Phalanxes or phalanges)

1. (plural phalanxes) a large group of people, animals or things, compact or closely massed, or tightly knit and united in common purpose.
   • 2007, The Guardian, [1]

     There, the Paisleyites were being held back by another phalanx of soldiers and policemen.

   • 2007, The Guardian, [2]

     The Guardian today listed a phalanx of ministers who back the bill, including Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, Tony McNulty, the policing minister, Andy Burnham, the junior health minister, Ian Pearson, the climate change minister, John Healey, the financial secretary to the Treasury, and Keith Hill, parliamentary private secretary to Tony Blair

2. (anatomy, plural phalanges) One of the bones of the finger or toe.
3. (historical, plural phalanxes) An ancient Greek military unit that consisted of several ranks and files (lines) of soldiers in close array with joined shields and long spears.
4. (historical sociology) A Fourierite utopian community; a phalanstery.

Synonyms

• (anatomy, bone of the finger or toe): phalange

Adjectives for Phalanx

martial; invincible; cunning.

Thesaurus

KP, age group, army, army group, band, battalion, battery, battle group, bevy, body, brigade, bunch, cabal, cadre, cast, clique, cohort, column, combat command, combat team, company, complement, contingent, corps, coterie, covey, crew, crowd, detachment, detail, division, faction, field army, field train, file, fleet, flying column, gang, garrison, group, grouping, groupment, in-group, junta, kitchen police, legion, maniple, mob, movement, organization, out-group, outfit, pack, party, peer group, platoon, posse, rank, regiment, salon, section, set, squad, squadron, stable, string, tactical unit, task force, team, train, tribe, troop, troupe, unit, wing

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  noicon

  (file)

Etymology

From Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phalanks, “battle order, array”).

Translations

ancient Greek military unit

Armenian: փաղանգ (hy) (p'aġang) Catalan: falange (ca) f. Croatian: fàlānga (hr) f. Danish: falanks (da) c. Dutch: falanx (nl) Esperanto: falango (eo) Finnish: falangi (fi) French: phalange (fr) f. Greek: Ancient: φάλαγξ f. Modern: φάλαγγα (el) f.

Icelandic: kjúka (is) f. Irish: falang (ga) m. Macedonian: фаланга (mk) (falánga) f. Russian: фаланга (ru) (falánga) f. Slovene: falanga (sl) f.

finger or toe bone

Armenian: մատնահատված (hy) (matnahatvaç) Catalan: falange (ca) f. Croatian: fàlānga (hr) f. Danish: falanks (da) c. Esperanto: falango (eo) Finnish: varpaanluu (toe), sormiluu (finger) French: phalange (fr) f.

Greek: φάλαγγα (el) f. Hebrew: גָּלִיל (he) (galíl) m. Icelandic: kjúka (is) f. Russian: фаланга (ru) (falánga) f. Volapük: (finger) doatabomil (vo), (toe) teanabomil (vo)

large group of animals, plants, or people

large group of people

Catalan: falange (ca) f. Croatian: fàlānga (hr) f. Dutch: falangisme

Finnish: falangi (fi) Greek: φάλαγγα (el) f. Macedonian: фаланга (mk) (falánga) f.

---

Latin

Noun

phalanx (genitive phalangis); f, third declension

1. phalanx, battalion

Inflection

Number	Singular	Plural
nominative	phalanx	phalangēs
genitive	phalangis	phalangum
dative	phalangī	phalangibus
accusative	phalangem	phalangēs
ablative	phalange	phalangibus
vocative	phalanx	phalangēs