phalanx

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈfælæŋks/ (UK); /ˈfeɪˌlæŋks/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin phalanx,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx, “line of battle; finger or toe bone”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} originally “log, trunk”,^[3][4][5] a word of unknown origin.^[4] Etymonline suggests it may come from a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “plank, beam”, the source of balk.^[4][5] An earlier English form was phalange (before 1460).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An ancient Greek battle formation in close ranks (1553).^[3][4][5][7]

Semantic evolution

In anatomy the word first named the whole row of finger joints, which fit together like infantry in close order,^[4] and then a single bone of a finger or toe (1693).^[7][5] Figuratively it has meant a group of people banded together in a common cause since 1600,^[7][4] and a compact mass of people, animals or things since 1733.^[7][5] In Fourier's social system it was a community living in a phalanstery (1843).^[7][2][6]

Timeline

• before 1460 – phalange.^[3]
• 1553 – a Greek battle formation.^[3][5][7]
• 1600 – a group united for a cause.^[7][4]
• 1693 – a bone of a finger or toe.^[7]
• 1733 – a compact body of persons or animals.^[7]
• 1843 – a Fourierist community.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A formation of heavily armed infantry in close, deep ranks with overlapping shields and long spears, as in ancient Greece and Macedonia.
2. A close-knit or compact body of people, animals or things.
3. A group of people united for a common purpose.
4. A bone of a finger or toe; plural usually phalanges.
5. A community of followers of Fourier; a phalanstery.

Related words

• phalangal
• phalangeal
• phalange
• phalanges
• phalanstery
• balk

Usage notes

Merriam-Webster gives both phalanxes and phalanges as plurals, with phalanges for the bones.^[5] Wiktionary notes that phalanxes is preferred in most contexts but phalanges is standard in biology.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press