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phoenix
phoenix (in classical mythology) a unique bird, resembling an eagle but with rich red and gold plumage, that lived for five or six centuries in the Arabian desert (it is also known as the Arabian bird), after this time burning itself on a funeral pyre ignited by the sun and fanned by its own wings, and rising from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle.
A variation of the myth stated that the phoenix burnt itself on the altar of the temple of Helios (the Sun) at Heliopolis (Egypt), and that a worm emerged from the ashes and became the young phoenix. phoenix company a derogatory term for an insolvent company which is placed into voluntary liquidation by its directors, trading being resumed soon afterwards under a different company name. The usage is recorded from the early 1990s. Phoenix Park Murders the murder in Phoenix Park, Dublin, with surgical knives, of the newly arrived Irish chief secretary, Lord Frederick Cavendish, and under-secretary T. H. Burke, by Irish Invincibles in 1882. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "phoenix." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 24 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "phoenix." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 24, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-phoenix.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "phoenix." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 24, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-phoenix.html |
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phoenix
phoenix fabulous bird that periodically regenerated itself, used in literature as a symbol of death and resurrection. According to legend, the phoenix lived in Arabia; when it reached the end of its life (500 years), it burned itself on a pyre of flames, and from the ashes a new phoenix arose. As a sacred symbol in Egyptian religion, the phoenix represented the sun, which dies each night and rises again each morning. According to Herodotus the bird was red and golden and resembled an eagle. |
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"phoenix." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 24 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "phoenix." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 24, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-phoenix.html "phoenix." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 24, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-phoenix.html |
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phoenix
phoe·nix / ˈfēniks/ • n. (in classical mythology) a unique bird that lived for five or six centuries in the Arabian desert, after this time burning itself on a funeral pyre and rising from the ashes with renewed youth to live through another cycle. ∎ a person or thing regarded as uniquely remarkable in some respect. PHRASES: rise like a phoenix from the ashes emerge renewed after apparent disaster or destruction. |
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"phoenix." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 24 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "phoenix." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 24, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-phoenix010.html "phoenix." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-phoenix010.html |
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phoenix
phoenix Mythological eagle-like bird linked with Sun- worship, especially in ancient Egypt. Of gold and scarlet plumage, only one phoenix could exist at a time, usually with a life span of c.500 years. When death approached, the phoenix built a nest of aromatic plant material and was then consumed by fire. From the ashes of the pyre rose a new phoenix.
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"phoenix." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 24 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "phoenix." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 24, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-phoenix.html "phoenix." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 24, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-phoenix.html |
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phoenix
phoenix In classical mythology, a bird resembling an eagle; according to one legend, at the age of 500 years it built a funeral pile composed of spices, lay upon it, and died, but out of the ashes a new body arose. Hence the phoenix became a symbol of the resurrection in Christian art.
The name was given to a harbour in Crete (Acts 27: 12). |
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "phoenix." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 24 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "phoenix." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 24, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-phoenix.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "phoenix." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 24, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-phoenix.html |
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phoenix
phoenix. A mythical bird, which was the subject of several legends in antiquity. According to one of these, after living for 500–600 years it burnt itself to ashes and then came back to life with renewed youth. From early times Christian writers regarded it as an image of the Resurrection.
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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "phoenix." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 24 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "phoenix." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 24, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-phoenix.html E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "phoenix." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 24, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-phoenix.html |
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phoenix
phoenix mythical bird of gorgeous plumage living for centuries in the Arabian desert, then burning itself to ashes, from which it emerged with renewed youth. OE., ME. fenix — L. phœnix and OF. fenix (mod. phénix), the L. being — Gr. phoînix, of unkn. orig.
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T. F. HOAD. "phoenix." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 24 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "phoenix." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 24, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-phoenix.html T. F. HOAD. "phoenix." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 24, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-phoenix.html |
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