Standard Lemma guide

phalanx

name · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australian, UK: /ˈfælæŋks/
  • Australian, UK: /fəˈlæŋks/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈfeɪˌlæŋks/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ælæŋks
  • rhymes with -æŋks
  • rhymes with -eɪlæŋks
  • CMU ARPABET: F EY1 L AE0 NG K S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

The brand name of a radar-controlled rapid fire 20mm Gatling-type machine gun, the Phalanx CIWS (pronounced see-wiz), deployed on U.S. Navy ships as a last line of defense against antiship cruise missiles.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An ancient Greek and Macedonian military unit that consisted of several ranks and files (lines) of soldiers in close array with joined shields and long spears.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A large group of people, animals or things, compact or closely massed, or tightly knit and united in common purpose.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A Fourierite utopian community; a phalanstery.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

Topics: human-sciences, sciences, social-science, sociology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

One of the bones of the finger or toe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: phalange, phalangeal

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A bundle of stamens, in diadelphous and polyadelphous flowers.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

any of the bones of the fingers or toes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bone, os

8

noun

Meaning 8

a body of troops in close array

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: military unit, military force, military group, force

9

noun

Meaning 9

any closely ranked crowd of people

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: crowd

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin phalanx or Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx, “battle order; array”). Doublet of phalange, planch, plancha, planche, and plank.

Across languages

Translations

100 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: falang — ancient Greek military unit
  • Albanian: tufë trima — ancient Greek military unit
  • Armenian: փաղանգ (pʻaġang) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Belarusian: фала́нга (falánha) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Bulgarian: фаланга (falanga) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Catalan: falange — ancient Greek military unit
  • Chinese Mandarin: 方陣 /方阵 (fāngzhèn) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Czech: falanga — ancient Greek military unit
  • Danish: falanks — ancient Greek military unit
  • Dutch: falanx — ancient Greek military unit
  • Esperanto: falango — ancient Greek military unit
  • Finnish: falangi — ancient Greek military unit
  • French: phalange — ancient Greek military unit
  • Galician: falanxe — ancient Greek military unit
  • German: Phalanx — ancient Greek military unit
  • Greek: φάλαγγα (fálanga) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Ancient Greek: φάλαγξ (phálanx) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Icelandic: kjúka — ancient Greek military unit
  • Irish: falang — ancient Greek military unit
  • Italian: falange — ancient Greek military unit
  • Japanese: ファランクス (farankusu) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Latin: phalanga — ancient Greek military unit
  • Latin: phalanx — ancient Greek military unit
  • Macedonian: фаланга (falanga) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Marathi: फॅलँक्स (phĕlĕṅksa) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Polish: falanga — ancient Greek military unit
  • Portuguese: falange — ancient Greek military unit
  • Romanian: falangă — ancient Greek military unit
  • Russian: фала́нга (falánga) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Serbo-Croatian: фаланга — ancient Greek military unit
  • Serbo-Croatian: falanga — ancient Greek military unit
  • Slovene: falanga — ancient Greek military unit
  • Spanish: falange — ancient Greek military unit
  • Swedish: falang — ancient Greek military unit
  • Ukrainian: фала́нга (falánha) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Vietnamese: phalanx — ancient Greek military unit
  • Yiddish: פֿאַלאַנגע (falánge) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Yiddish: פֿאַלאַנקס (falánks) — ancient Greek military unit
  • Arabic: سُلَامَى (sulāmā) — finger or toe bone
  • Arabic: سُلَامِيَّة (sulāmiyya) — finger or toe bone
  • Armenian: մատնահատված (matnahatvac) — finger or toe bone
  • Belarusian: фала́нга (falánha) — finger or toe bone
  • Bulgarian: фала́нга (falánga) — finger or toe bone
  • Catalan: falange — finger or toe bone
  • Chinese Mandarin: 指骨 (zhǐgǔ) — finger or toe bone
  • Chinese Mandarin: 趾骨 (zhǐgǔ) — finger or toe bone
  • Czech: článek prstu — finger or toe bone
  • Danish: falanks — finger or toe bone
  • Dutch: kootje — finger or toe bone
  • Esperanto: falango — finger or toe bone
  • Finnish: varpaanluu — finger or toe bone
  • Finnish: sormiluu — finger or toe bone
  • French: phalange — finger or toe bone
  • Galician: falanxe — finger or toe bone
  • German: Fingerglied — finger or toe bone
  • German: Zehenglied — finger or toe bone
  • Greek: φάλαγγα (fálanga) — finger or toe bone
  • Hebrew: גָּלִיל (galíl) — finger or toe bone
  • Hungarian: ujjperc — finger or toe bone
  • Icelandic: kjúka — finger or toe bone
  • Irish: falang — finger or toe bone
  • Italian: falange — finger or toe bone
  • Japanese: 指骨 (shikotsu) — finger or toe bone
  • Japanese: 趾骨 (shikotsu) — finger or toe bone
  • Korean: 지골 (jigol) — finger or toe bone
  • Northern Kurdish: hestiyên pêçiyê — finger or toe bone
  • Northern Kurdish: hestiyên tilîyê — finger or toe bone
  • Macedonian: фаланга (falanga) — finger or toe bone
  • Malay: falanks — finger or toe bone
  • Māori: iwi mati — finger or toe bone
  • Norwegian Bokmål: falang — finger or toe bone
  • Occitan: falanja — finger or toe bone
  • Polish: paliczek — finger or toe bone
  • Portuguese: falange — finger or toe bone
  • Romanian: falangă — finger or toe bone
  • Russian: фала́нга (falánga) — finger or toe bone
  • Russian: суста́в па́льца (sustáv pálʹca) — finger or toe bone
  • Serbo-Croatian: фаланга — finger or toe bone
  • Serbo-Croatian: falanga — finger or toe bone
  • Slovak: článok prstu — finger or toe bone
  • Spanish: falange — finger or toe bone
  • Swedish: falang — finger or toe bone
  • Ukrainian: фала́нга (falánha) — finger or toe bone
  • Volapük: doatabomil — finger or toe bone
  • Volapük: teanabomil — finger or toe bone
  • Welsh: ffalang — finger or toe bone
  • Yiddish: פֿינגערביין (fíngerbeyn) — finger or toe bone
  • Yiddish: פֿינגערביינדל (fíngerbeyndl) — finger or toe bone
  • Yiddish: פֿינגער־פֿאַלאַנגע (fínger-falánge) — finger or toe bone
  • Italian: orda — large group of animals, plants, or people
  • Polish: falanga — large group of animals, plants, or people
  • Catalan: falange — large group of people
  • Finnish: falangi — large group of people
  • Greek: φάλαγγα (fálanga) — large group of people
  • Italian: orda — large group of people
  • Macedonian: фаланга (falanga) — large group of people
  • Polish: falanga — large group of people
  • Russian: фала́нга (falánga) — large group of people
  • Serbo-Croatian: фаланга — large group of people
  • Serbo-Croatian: falanga — large group of people