Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PHALANX
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connect today's word to others:
In both Latin and Greek, a phalanx is an array of men armed for a battle, and so today we talk about a phalanx of police, a phalanx of staff members, a phalanx of television cameras, or a phalanx of anything else that's powerful and densely arrayed.
When you call a group a phalanx, you're hinting that they remind you of soldiers: armed, unified, and disciplined.
The same can be said for these synonyms of phalanx:
1. L____n, as in "a l____n of consumers."
2. Ba______on, as in "a ba______on of volunteers."
3. Cav____de, as in "a cav____de of families with small children."
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"PHALANX"
A literal phalanx is a group of soldiers marching closely together, or a row of bones in a finger or a toe. (There are also several other specific meanings of "phalanx" in other sciences--insects, botany, taxonomy--but the basic idea is the same: a phalanx is a tightly-structured array of things.)
Figuratively, a phalanx is any powerful, tightly-organized group of people or things that reminds you of an orderly, well-armed array of soldiers.
Pronunciation:
Several ways are accepted by dictionaries.
I prefer "FAY lanks."
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind.
(Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions."
Likewise, talk about one phalanx or multiple phalanges ["fuh LAN jeez"] or, to be more casual, multiple phalanxes.)
Other forms:
None are common, but if you need an adjective, use "phalangian" or "phalangic."
How to use it:
When you want to compare a group of things or people to a group of powerful, tightly-packed soldiers all marching toward a common purpose, call them a phalanx.
Often it's a certain type of people who form a phalanx: a phalanx of assistants, reporters, lobbyists, protestors, photographers, etc.
Sometimes we talk about a phalanx of things: a phalanx of cameras, solar panels, fruit trees, and so on.
You can say that people are working in phalanx: "they opposed us in phalanx," "we're pursuing that goal in phalanx."
examples:
With their fiercely glossy ads, Ulta and Sephora persuade us to assemble a phalanx of eye shadow palettes.
"Once or twice the travellers heard the rush and whine of swan-wings, and looking up they saw a great phalanx streaming along the sky."
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, 1954
study it now:
Look away from the screen to define "phalanx" without saying "troop" or "myriad."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) encountered a phalanx of _____ (doing something)."
Example: "We encountered a phalanx of Girl Scouts pushing their addictive cookies."
before you review:
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
Complete the Limerick!
In each issue this month, finish off the last line of the poem with a word or phrase we've checked out before.
From the previous issue:
Eyes focused on all high-def surfaces,
Sated by fine foods and services,
We're blind to injustice,
We don't raise a fuss, 'cause
We need only our bread and circuses.
Try this one today:
The black-and-white thinking I did
Had me trapped in a two-column grid:
"If it's not A, it's B;"
As if there were no C:
As if there were no ____________.
review today's word:
1. A near opposite of PHALANGIC is
A. LOCKSTEP.
B. ABSTRACT.
C. SCATTERED.
2. A phalanx of _____overtakes the terminal.
A. tourists
B. holiday music
C. blissful silence
Answers are below.
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Answers to review questions:
1. C
2. A
In both Latin and Greek, a phalanx is an array of men armed for a battle, and so today we talk about a phalanx of police, a phalanx of staff members, a phalanx of television cameras, or a phalanx of anything else that's powerful and densely arrayed.
"PHALANX" A literal phalanx is a group of soldiers marching closely together, or a row of bones in a finger or a toe. (There are also several other specific meanings of "phalanx" in other sciences--insects, botany, taxonomy--but the basic idea is the same: a phalanx is a tightly-structured array of things.)
With their fiercely glossy ads, Ulta and Sephora persuade us to assemble a phalanx of eye shadow palettes.
Look away from the screen to define "phalanx" without saying "troop" or "myriad."
Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) encountered a phalanx of _____ (doing something)."
Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first.
1. A near opposite of PHALANGIC is
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |