LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

phalanx

phalanx f (genitive phalangis or phalangos)
Classical[ˈpʰa.ɫaŋks]Ecclesiastical[ˈfaː.laŋks]

Meaning

  1. femininephalanx; battalion

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativephalanxphalangē̆s
phalancēs
genitivephalangis
phalangos, phalancis		phalangum
phalancum
dativephalangī
phalancī		phalangibus
phalancibus
accusativephalangem
phalanga, phalancem		phalangēs
phalangas, phalancēs
ablativephalange
phalance		phalangibus
phalancibus
vocativephalanxphalangē̆s
phalancēs

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

phalangem perfringere
to break through the phalanx.
phalangem facere (B. G. 1. 24)
to form a phalanx.

phălanx (post-class. fălanx), angis, f., = φάλαγξ.
I. In gen.
A. Lit., a band of soldiers, a host drawn up in close order (poet.): Agamemnoniae phalanges, Verg. A. 6, 489: densae, id. ib. 12, 662: Tuscorum, id. ib. 12, 551: animosa (said of eight brothers fighting together), id. ib. 12, 277: junctae umbone phalanges, Juv. 2, 46.—
B. Trop., a host, multitude (postclass.): culparum, Prud. Psych. 816.—
II. In partic.
A. Among the Athenians and Spartans, a division of an army drawn up in battle array, a battalion, phalanx, Nep. Chabr. 1, 2; id. Pelop. 4, 2.—
B. The Macedonian order of battle, a Macedonian phalanx (a compact parallelogram of fifty men abreast and sixteen deep), Nep. Eum. 7, 1; Curt. 3, 2, 13; Liv. 31, 39, 10; cf.: quae (cohortes) cuneum Macedonum (phalangem ipsi vocant) perrumperent, id. 32, 17, 11: fecerat et falangem triginta milium hominum, Lampr. Alex. Sev. 50, 5.—
2. An order of battle of the Gauls and Germans, forming a parallelogram: Helvetii confertissimā acie, phalange factā, etc., Caes. B. G. 1, 24; 1, 52: phalangem perfringere, id. ib. 1, 25.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰelǵ-der.?
  2. Latinphalanx

Pre-Greekder. Ancient Greek φᾰ́λᾰγξ (phắlănx)bor. Latin phalanx Borrowed from Ancient Greek φᾰ́λᾰγξ (phắlănx). Compare Latin phalanga.

Descendants
  • Catalanfalange
  • Englishphalanx
  • Englishphalange
  • Frenchphalange
  • Italianfalange
  • Portuguesefalange
  • Spanishfalange

Quick answers

What does phalanx mean in Latin?
phalanx, a noun, means “phalanx; battalion”.
What is the genitive of phalanx?
The genitive singular is phalangis. phalanx is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce phalanx?
In classical Latin, [ˈpʰa.ɫaŋks]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈfaː.laŋks].
Where does phalanx come from?
Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ-der.? → Latin phalanx.