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Definition of phalanges - 8 dictionary results

pha⋅lan⋅ges

  [fuh-lan-jeez]
Use phalanges in a Sentence
–noun
1. a pl. of phalanx.
2. pl. of phalange.
Origin:
< L < Gk phálanges

phal⋅ange

  [fal-uhnj, fuh-lanj, fey-lanj]
–noun, plural pha⋅lan⋅ges  [fuh-lan-jeez] . Anatomy, Zoology.
a phalanx.
Origin:
1550–60; back formation from phalanges

pha⋅lanx

  [fey-langks, fal-angks] noun, plural pha⋅lanx⋅es or, for 7, pha⋅lan⋅ges  [fuh-lan-jeez] , verb
–noun
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. Military. (initial capital letter) 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. Anatomy, Zoology. any of the bones of the fingers or toes.
–verb (used without object)
8. Printing. to arrange the distribution of work in a shop as evenly as possible.
Origin:
1545–55; < L < Gk phálanx military formation, bone of finger or toe, wooden roller
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To phalanges
pha·lange   (fā'lānj', fə-lānj')   
n.  See phalanx.

[French, from Old French, body of infantrymen, from Latin, from Greek phalanx, phalang-, log, battle array, bone between the finger and toe joints; see phalanx.]
pha·lan·ges   (fə-lān'jēz, fā-)   
n.  A plural of phalanx.
pha·lanx   (fā'lāngks', fāl'āngks')   
n.   pl. pha·lanx·es or pha·lan·ges (fə-lān'jēz, fā-)
  1. A compact or close-knit body of people: "formed a solid phalanx in defense of the Constitution and Protestant religion" (G.M. Trevelyan).
  2. A formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears, developed by Philip II of Macedon and used by Alexander the Great.
  3. pl. phalanges Anatomy A bone of a finger or toe. Also called phalange.
  4. See phalanstery.

[Latin phalanx, phalang-, from Greek.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Phalanges

Pha*lan"ges\, n., pl. of Phalanx.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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phalanx   (fā'lāngks')  Pronunciation Key 
Plural phalanges (fə-lān'jēz)
Any of the small bones of the fingers or toes in humans or the digits of many other vertebrates.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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