Word of the Day: Sphinx

The Sphinx of legend was the womanly devourer of men who asked riddles and consumed those who gave the wrong answer. Think of a very large centaur-like monster with the upper half of Angelina Jolie (up to about the navel) and the body of a lion below that (from the upper chest downwards). Some authorities say the Sphinx was winged.

But it's interesting to know that the word 'Sphinx' comes from the Greek sphingein — 'to squeeze, choke or strangle'. The Sphinx was not a render and tearer; without the head of a lion, that would have been quite difficult. Instead, she was a strangler, someone whose inhumanly strong 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' grip could easily throttle a grown warrior.

The etymology also implies that the proper plural of 'sphinx' is not 'sphinxes', but 'sphinges' — just as the proper plural of 'syrinx' is 'syringes'. The word 'syringe' is actually an improper singular back-formation from 'syringes'.

Incidentally, 'sphinx' is also related to 'sphincter' — that is, a muscle that contracts to choke off or squeeze something. This is a far more dynamic term than the Latin anus, which means a static ring (diminutive annulus, a small ring).