phalanx

[ fey-langks, fal-angks ]

noun

, plural pha·lanx·es pha·lan·ges [f, uh, -, lan, -jeez].

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, especially persons united for a common purpose.
4. a compact or closely massed body of persons, animals, or things.
5. Phalanx, Military. a radar-controlled U.S. Navy 20 mm 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. Anatomy, Zoology. any of the bones of the fingers or toes.

verb (used without object)

1. Printing. to arrange the distribution of work in a shop as evenly as possible.

phalanx

/ ˈfælæŋks /

noun

1. an ancient Greek and Macedonian battle formation of hoplites presenting long spears from behind a wall of overlapping shields
2. any closely ranked unit or mass of people

   the police formed a phalanx to protect the embassy

3. a number of people united for a common purpose
4. (in Fourierism) a group of approximately 1800 persons forming a commune in which all property is collectively owned
5. anatomy any of the bones of the fingers or toes phalangeal
6. botany
   1. a bundle of stamens, joined together by their stalks (filaments)
   2. a form of vegetative spread in which the advance is on a broad front, as in the common reed Compare guerrilla

phalanx

/ fā′lăngks′ /

, Plural phalanges fə-lăn′jēz

1. Any of the small bones of the fingers or toes in humans or the digits of many other vertebrates.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phalanx¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin, from Greek phálanx “military formation, bone of finger or toe, wooden roller”

Word History and Origins

Origin of phalanx¹

C16: via Latin from Greek: infantry formation in close ranks, bone of finger or toe

Example Sentences

And canvassers like me, the phalanx from 1199 SEIU, made sure that every voter we spoke to knew how to cast their votes early or by mail.

From Salon

Hours earlier, just before dawn, he had been awoken by a phalanx of officers who had stormed into the small Hollywood apartment he shared with his mother and sister.

From Los Angeles Times

At Harrods, his personal fiefdom, he created an intimidating atmosphere where a phalanx of bodyguards protected him around the clock and where surveillance equipment was installed in backroom offices.

From BBC

Leading the pack was a phalanx of queer bikers ready to rev their engines down a rainbow-swaddled corridor in the heart of L.A.’s iconic gay haven.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’re the homeless veteran capital of the world right now,” he lectured a phalanx of government lawyers.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• army
• flock
• horde
• multitude
• throng