The Collaborative International Dictionary
Phalanx \Pha"lanx\, n.; pl. Phalanxes, L. Phalanges. [L., from Gr. ?.]
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(Gr. Antiq.) A body of heavy-armed infantry formed in ranks and files close and deep. There were several different arrangements, the phalanx varying in depth from four to twenty-five or more ranks of men. ``In cubic phalanx firm advanced.''
--Milton.The Grecian phalanx, moveless as a tower.
--Pope. -
Any body of troops or men formed in close array, or any combination of people distinguished for firmness and solidity of a union.
At present they formed a united phalanx.
--Macaulay.The sheep recumbent, and the sheep that grazed, All huddling into phalanx, stood and gazed.
--Cowper. A Fourierite community; a phalanstery.
(Anat.) One of the digital bones of the hand or foot, beyond the metacarpus or metatarsus; an internode.
[pl. Phalanges.] (Bot.) A group or bundle of stamens, as in polyadelphous flowers.
Wiktionary
n. (plural of phalanx English)
Usage examples of "phalanxes".
Trumpets on both sides blared and we yelled as loud as we could and broke into a run and the two phalanxes smashed into each other with a thunderous bloodthirsty roar and the screeching, clanging, terrifying clamor of iron spearpoints against shields and bronze breastplates—and flesh.
Men were trampled underfoot as the two phalanxes ground into each other, each still advancing despite the shredding of our front ranks.
The mercenaries loafed and laughed at us while we of the Macedonian phalanxes marched and wheeled and turned and charged at the bawling commands of our unit leaders.
Beyond them, facing us, stood the Thebans in phalanxes twelve men deep.
Like a single creature, Philip's phalanxes on his far right began to march forward toward the Athenians.
The Theban commander must have seen this, for now he began to move his phalanxes more toward the center of their formation, trying to close the gap—leaving some firm ground open between his own right flank and the marshland by the river.
Wheeling around faster than the phalanxes could turn, we hit them from the rear and sides.
In front of the Theban phalanxes our light troops harried them with arrows and javelins.
They were not an army now, they had no phalanxes, only knots of shaken and confused men who were being cut to pieces by our cavalry.
He ordered an end to the pursuit of the Athenians and brought his phalanxes over to our side of the field to finish off the Thebans.
Instead of harrying them to their deaths he turned his phalanxes against the Thebans, coming to the aid of us in the cavalry.
Trumpets on both sides blared and we yelled as loud as we could and broke into a run and the two phalanxes smashed into each other with a thunderous bloodthirsty roar and the screeching, clanging, terrifying clamor of iron spearpoints against shields and bronze breastplates-and flesh.
The Theban commander must have seen this, for now he began to move his phalanxes more toward the center of their formation, trying to close the gap-leaving some firm ground open between his own right flank and the marshland by the river.
But, in the main, close-order troops would block the spears with their shields and the initial stages of combat would be down to the strength and weight of the two phalanxes as they clashed, like two huge bulls coming together head to head.
It had been a battle of attrition, both phalanxes locked together, the judges throwing knuckle-bones and removing the dead until at last the White army overwhelmed the Red.