Sphingoid
/ˈsfɪn.dʒɔɪd/noun
Resembling a sphinx; especially, relating to or resembling sphinges or sphingid moths.
Did you know?Sphingoid comes from the same ancient name behind the Sphinx, a creature tied in Greek imagination to riddles, death, and monstrous female power.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
Σφίγξ (Sphíngx)
“The Sphinx, a mythic creature that posed a deadly riddle”
Latin
Lat
sphinx
“The Sphinx, borrowed from Greek”
19th Century
Eng
sphingid
“Pertaining to hawk moths, named for their sphinx-like posture”
19th Century
Eng
sphingoid
“Sphinx-like; resembling a sphinx or sphingid moth”
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