Falanx
/ˈfæl.æŋks/noun
An obsolete or variant English spelling of phalanx, meaning a close-ranked infantry formation or one of the bones of a finger or toe.
Did you know?The same Greek word eventually moved from battlefield language into anatomy, where each individual finger or toe bone became a phalanx.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
φάλαγξ (phálanx)
“A battle line or close-packed military formation; the word may also have referred originally to a log or piece of wood, though its earliest root is uncertain.”
Hellenistic Greek
Greek
φαλάγγιον (phalangion)
“A small phalanx or one of the bones of a finger or toe.”
Classical Latin
Latin
phalanx
“A compact infantry formation; later, a finger or toe bone in anatomical usage.”
Old French
Old French
falange
“A military phalanx or anatomical bone, with the initial spelling simplified in some forms.”
Middle English
English
falange / falanx
“A closely ordered body of soldiers; later also a finger or toe bone.”
Modern English
English
falanx
“An obsolete or variant spelling of the standard form phalanx.”
Explore more surprising origins