phalanges

pha·lan·ges

 (fə-lăn′jēz, fā-)

n.

A plural of phalanx.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pha•lanx

(ˈfeɪ læŋks, ˈfæl æŋks)

n., pl. pha•lanx•es for 1-6, pha•lan•ges (fəˈlæn dʒiz for 7.)

1. (in ancient Greece) a group of heavily armed infantry formed in ranks and files close and deep, with shields joined and long spears overlapping.

2. any body of troops in close array.

3. a number of persons united for a common purpose.

4. a compact or closely massed body of persons, animals, or things.

5. (in Fourierism) a group of about 1800 persons, living together and holding their property in common.

6. any of the bones of the fingers or toes.

[1545–55; < Latin < Greek phálanx military formation, bone of finger or toe, wooden roller]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

pha·lan·ges

(fə-lăn′jēz)

The small bones of the fingers or toes in humans or the digits in other primates. See more at skeleton.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

phalanges

Finger and toe bones.

Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited