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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
phenomenon
noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
complex
▪ Most of the difficulty stems from the fact that an eruption is an extremely complex phenomenon.
▪ The Industrial Revolution is a complex phenomenon.
▪ Rather, it reflects the need for different conceptualizations to cover the different dimensions of a highly complex phenomenon.
▪ No single strategy or tactic will resolve such a complex phenomenon as inter-group conflict.
▪ There is some truth in this simple account of the rise of semi-literacy, but in fact it is a complex phenomenon.
▪ First, because of its multidimensional nature, power is a complex phenomenon.
▪ Previous research has shown that trust is a complex phenomenon and a variety of new measures are needed to capture its complexity.
▪ Crime is a complex social phenomenon with no single cause or solution.
cultural
▪ He thereby pays less attention than he might to interpreting the science of art as a cultural phenomenon.
▪ This preoccupation with death and judgment was not merely a cultural phenomenon it was deliberate.
general
▪ He asks whether a general phenomenon would cease to be a feature of a society if particular individuals held different beliefs.
▪ Since this is a general phenomenon it calls for a general explanation, interesting as individual instances may be.
▪ And he concludes that, since it would not, the individual beliefs can not be the explanation of the general phenomenon.
▪ The assimilation of legacy and trust is not, then, a general phenomenon but is related somehow to Scaevola in particular.
modern
▪ Is it an illusion to imagine that this is a merely modern phenomenon? he wrote.
▪ The distortion, however, is a modern phenomenon.
▪ This, I guess, must have been a post-post-#modern phenomenon.
▪ This is a modern phenomenon and also related to the growth of modern corporate enterprise.
▪ It all seems a peculiarly modern phenomenon.
▪ Like social movements, political parties are a modern phenomenon.
▪ Family sentiment linked to a particular place is not a modern phenomenon.
natural
▪ Instead they see low concentrations of magnesium as a natural phenomenon exacerbated by air pollution.
▪ It is regarded as a purely natural phenomenon which, by an unusual coincidence, occurs in the walls of their convent.
▪ And nomatterhow minor that discovery is, there is a peculiar excitement about understanding some natural phenomenon for the first time.
▪ He told the story of what had occurred as if it were a natural phenomenon, not mechanical failing or human error.
new
▪ Machismo is a New World phenomenon with roots in old world cultures.
▪ Illiteracy is not a new phenomenon in the United States.
▪ A new phenomenon is identified in some prisons.
▪ This is not a new phenomenon.
▪ Thus, what is happening in the Republican Party in 1996 is not a new phenomenon.
▪ Running away from home is not a new phenomenon.
▪ The movement of peoples from East to West is a newer phenomenon.
rare
▪ All this results in a rare phenomenon: Marks and Spencer is a company people are fond of.
▪ Nevertheless, the expulsion of a bishop was a relatively rare phenomenon.
▪ This is not a rare phenomenon.
▪ This will exclude the counter-examples, but it will also make knowledge a rare phenomenon at best.
recent
▪ Background and History Compacts are a comparatively recent phenomenon.
▪ Indeed, the notion that all students should engage in serious academic work and learn it deeply is a relatively recent phenomenon.
▪ The problem of deposits on soft contact lenses is not a recent or unique phenomenon.
▪ A recent phenomenon has been the development of groups for adults who grew up with an alcoholic parent.
▪ Compulsory state education for all is, in the historical sense, a recent phenomenon.
▪ We should also remember that official disapproval is a recent phenomenon.
▪ Comprehensive food labelling is a fairly recent phenomenon.
similar
▪ Daedalus now points out that the solar wind is an exactly similar phenomenon.
▪ Among certain kinds of self-defeating organiza-tions, we see a similar phenomenon at work.
▪ A somewhat similar phenomenon occurred with the ships that the Vikings used as coffins.
▪ Since glow-worms, fireflies, electric eels and many fish exhibit a similar phenomenon, the statement is not unrealistic.
social
▪ Stereotyped deviant behaviour is inevitably a social phenomenon, and concerns us almost as much as it does social psychologists or psychiatrists.
▪ To explain a social phenomenon is therefore to capture its uniqueness and show why it happened when it need not have done.
▪ Crime is a complex social phenomenon with no single cause or solution.
▪ When women ponder on an individual, emotion or social phenomenon, it is called Gossip.
▪ It follows that punishment - or indeed any social phenomenon - is an inevitably highly complex phenomenon which requires extremely subtle analysis.
▪ Other research sets out to explain a social phenomenon.
temporary
▪ The demise of jobs is such a shift: people are still calling it a temporary phenomenon.
universal
▪ Thus it can be seen how a practice which has little educational validity can become a universal phenomenon.
▪ But trade in slaves has been a universal phenomenon, affecting all primitive societies.
▪ However, although the closed shop is a feature of some unions, it is not a universal phenomenon.
whole
▪ The important aspect of Johnson's statement is that he dismisses the whole phenomenon of labouring poets as misapplied patronage.
▪ Let us for the time being not take a stand on this issue but address ourselves to the whole phenomenon in its strong sense.
■ VERB
become
▪ Eventually the whole viewfield becomes white by this phenomenon.
▪ H.. Norman Schwarzkopf, to become a media phenomenon.
▪ Thus it can be seen how a practice which has little educational validity can become a universal phenomenon.
▪ By 1976, the show had become a national phenomenon.
▪ They became a worldwide phenomenon and are still in circulation.
▪ Dissent, hitherto confined to a number of intellectuals, became a mass phenomenon with the Protestant Church playing a leading role.
▪ It has become a huge phenomenon since the beginning of the 90s.
▪ Aggression becomes a category or phenomenon whose presence or absence is a matter for empirical investigation.
call
▪ The demise of jobs is such a shift: people are still calling it a temporary phenomenon.
explain
▪ Parliamentary answers intended to explain the phenomenon left a messy impression.
▪ Ever try explaining the Monkees phenomenon to your kids?
▪ Lucas has advanced certain ingenious theoretical devices to explain the phenomenon of persistence which we shall examine later in this chapter.
▪ I can not explain this phenomenon: I merely record it.
▪ Chomsky explains this phenomenon by suggesting that human individuals are innately endowed with a deep structure grammar of language.
▪ All sorts of theories to explain the phenomenon have been advanced, but as far as I am concerned, it works.
▪ But it is not prepared to accept that the mathematical models developed to explain the phenomenon are sufficiently proven.
▪ This is a clear example of attempting to explain an unknown phenomenon by means of models based on known phenomena.
observe
▪ It had not always been possible for him to observe the phenomenon on his own.
▪ I sat in cafés or stood in bus queues observing the phenomenon of heterosexuality.
occur
▪ If you had that sort of phenomenon occur you have to take note of it.
▪ What some consider an isolated situation in Tucson Water is actually a phenomenon occurring the world over, according to Ullery.
▪ He argues that Marxist accounts assume that the phenomenon occurs solely due to the needs of corporations and their owners.
▪ This phenomenon occurs on a broader level as well, although the dynamics are somewhat different.
▪ We can see why this phenomenon should occur.
▪ That apart, a strange phenomenon has occurred.
▪ The phenomenon occurs because the falling rain or snow closest to the light reflects some of it.
understand
▪ And nomatterhow minor that discovery is, there is a peculiar excitement about understanding some natural phenomenon for the first time.
▪ Evidence strongly suggests that a serious problem exists and research is needed to better understand this phenomenon and its causes.
▪ There is no attempt to understand or explain the phenomenon in terms of wider social forces.
▪ Although our early behavioral observations often stimulated productive studies, they often misled us in our understanding of a specific phenomenon.
▪ Strengthened by his ability to understand the phenomenon of sound, early man became conscious of the creative power inherent in it.
▪ I wanted to understand the phenomenon at an individual, a social and a sociological level.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪ Still walking five miles a day at the age of 95, the woman was an absolute phenomenon.
▪ The cell phone is a relatively recent phenomenon. It's difficult at the moment to assess its effects.
▪ the increasing phenomenon of the single parent family
▪ We now know that our system of planets orbiting the sun is not a unique phenomenon.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A new phenomenon is identified in some prisons.
▪ He is yet another phenomenon of questionable tangibility to emerge from the twelfth century.
▪ In dealing with this new phenomenon, I have two points to make.
▪ Industrial ReD in the public sector is a relatively new phenomenon and the expectations from it are not very clear.
▪ Is it an illusion to imagine that this is a merely modern phenomenon? he wrote.
▪ The same phenomenon was observed in New York.
▪ Then an interesting phenomenon takes place: they become a safety valve.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Phenomenon

Phenomenon \Phe*nom"e*non\, n.; pl. Phenomena. [L. phaenomenon, Gr. faino`menon, fr. fai`nesqai to appear, fai`nein to show. See Phantom.]

  1. An appearance; anything visible; whatever, in matter or spirit, is apparent to, or is apprehended by, observation; as, the phenomena of heat, light, or electricity; phenomena of imagination or memory.

    In the phenomena of the material world, and in many of the phenomena of mind.
    --Stewart.

  2. That which strikes one as strange, unusual, or unaccountable; an extraordinary or very remarkable person, thing, or occurrence; as, a musical phenomenon.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
phenomenon

1570s, "fact, occurrence," from Late Latin phænomenon, from Greek phainomenon "that which appears or is seen," noun use of neuter present participle of phainesthai "to appear," passive of phainein (see phantasm). Meaning "extraordinary occurrence" first recorded 1771. Plural is phenomena.

Wiktionary
phenomenon

n. 1 An observable fact or occurrence or a kind of observable fact or occurrence. 2 appearance; a perceptible aspect of something that is mutable. 3 A fact or event considered very unusual, curious, or astonishing by those who witness it. 4 A wonderful or very remarkable person or thing. 5 (context philosophy chiefly Kantian idealism English) An experienced object whose constitution reflects the order and conceptual structure imposed upon it by the human mind (especially by the powers of perception and understanding).

WordNet
phenomenon
  1. n. any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning

  2. a remarkable development

  3. [also: phenomena (pl)]

Wikipedia
Phenomenon

A phenomenon ( Greek: φαινόμενoν, phainomenon, from the verb φαίνειν, phainein, to show, shine, appear, to be manifest or manifest itself, plural phenomena), is any thing which manifests itself. Phenomena are often, but not always, understood as "things that appear" or " experiences" for a sentient being, or in principle may be so.

The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon. In contrast to a phenomenon, a noumenon is not directly accessible to observation. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in this part of his philosophy, in which phenomenon and noumenon serve as interrelated technical terms.

Phenomenon (film)

is a 1996 American romantic fantasy drama film directed by Jon Turteltaub, written by Gerald Di Pego, as well as starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall, and Jeffrey DeMunn.

In the film, an amiable, small-town everyman is inexplicably transformed into a genius with telekinetic powers. The original music score was composed by Thomas Newman. It was filmed in Auburn, Colfax, Davis, Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, and Treasure Island, all in Northern California.

Phenomenon (UFO album)

Phenomenon is the third studio album by the British rock band UFO, released in May 1974.

Phenomenon (LL Cool J album)

Phenomenon is the seventh studio album by rapper LL Cool J. After the success of his previous release Mr. Smith, the same basic principles are followed here, with several R&B-influenced tracks, and a couple of more hardcore rap tracks. The album was certified Platinum, unlike Mr. Smith, which was certified 2x Platinum. The album is executively produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs and therefore features production from his in-house roster of producers The Hitmen.

Phenomenon (Thousand Foot Krutch album)

Phenomenon is the second studio album by Christian rock band Thousand Foot Krutch, and their first project on Tooth & Nail Records. The album was released on September 30, 2003. It displays a different style than the band's previous album, with less rapping and instead, a fusion of modern rock and nu metal.

Phenomenon (LL Cool J song)

"Phenomenon" was the first single by LL Cool J from his seventh album Phenomenon. It was released on October 14, 1997. It samples the song "Who Is He And What Is He To You" by Creative Source. On the B-Side was "Hot Hot Hot". It interpolates bits of Liquid Liquid's song "Cavern". The lyrics "Something Like a Phenomenon" and the beat are taken from the song "White Lines" by Grandmaster Flash.

Phenomenon (TV series)

Phenomenon was a competition show judged by mystifier Uri Geller and illusionist Criss Angel and hosted by Tim Vincent which debuted live on Wednesday, October 24, 2007 on NBC. The show featured ten contestants competing to become the next great mentalist, to be determined by viewers voting by phone and online. The contestants performed their effects on celebrity guests each week. The winner of Phenomenon would win $250,000.

On October 30, 2007, during an interview with Larry King about the show, Angel said "No one has the ability, that I'm aware of, to do anything supernatural, psychic, talk to the dead. And that was what I said I was going to do with Phenomenon. If somebody goes on that show and claims to have supernatural psychic ability, I'm going to bust them live and on television."

The winner of the first season was Mike Super.

The series was cancelled on April 2, 2008, after NBC announced its 2008–2009 schedule.

Phenomenon (Thousand Foot Krutch song)

"Phenomenon" is a song by Thousand Foot Krutch and is the first track on the album of the same name, released in 2003.

The song is significantly different from the style from the group's previous album, Set It Off. It features more of an Alternative Rock feel instead of the Nu metal/ Rapcore song structures that previously featured in the groups releases. The song is about "standing up for what you believe in." as McNevan describes it. The song was also No. 1 on ChristianRock.Net along with their songs, "Bounce", and " Rawkfist". The song also peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard'' Modern Rock tracks, at No. 37 on the R&R Active Rock charts.

Phenomenon (soundtrack)

The Phenomenon soundtrack is a compilation album by various artists released for Reprise Records, who contributed to the music score of the 1996 American romantic fantasy drama film Phenomenon, starring John Travolta. The soundtrack features performances by international music stars including Eric Clapton, Bryan Ferry, Peter Gabriel, Diana Ross and Sheryl Crow and went on to be a high-selling soundtrack release. The single " Change the World", performed by Eric Clapton, which was released off the album became a global hit and helped to promote the soundtracks sales figures.

Usage examples of "phenomenon".

With what passionate academicism he devoted himself to assigning phenomena their rightful places in his subtle and intricate theology!

Thus, all the while that Galileo was inventing modern physics, teaching mathematics to princes, discovering new phenomena among the planets, publishing science books for the general public, and defending his bold theories against establishment enemies, he was also buying thread for Suor Luisa, choosing organ music for Mother Achillea, shipping gifts of food, and supplying his homegrown citrus fruits, wine, and rosemary leaves for the kitchen and apothecary at San Matteo.

She took no notice of the phenomenon, so accustomed to the ways of the grove was she, but Acorn hesitated.

Coral Lorenzen, author of The Great Flying Saucer Hoax and an international director of the Aerial Phenomena Research Organization, immediately followed through on the startling rumors by putting in a call to Terry Clarke of KALG Radio in Alamogordo, nine miles east of Holloman.

National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena accuses the Air Force of doing much more than issuing official disclaimers.

The almanac at that time was a kind of periodical as well as a guide to natural phenomena and the weather.

The basic premise of Amel is that the phenomena of religion are as much amenable to science as the phenomena of nature.

Whereas Ruskin throws out a multitude of aphoristic utterances about many different aspects of nature, which will provide us with further starting-points for our own observation and thought, Howard is concerned with a single sphere of phenomena, that of cloud formation.

It was not reached by an induction of facts, a study of phenomena, or any fair process of reasoning, but was arbitrarily created to rescue a dogma from otherwise inevitable rejection.

The fact that philosophers, modelers and neurobiologists are actually listening to one another, and that computer people have at last begun to show some respect for biological as well as artefactual brains, clearly makes their analyses an advance over the earlier ones, in which Al enthusiasts tended to run away with preconceived notions of what nerve cells did, and soon cut off all meaningful contact with the biological phenomena which the neurobiologists were studying.

LTP might not be a purely artefactual phenomenon, which occurs only in animals which have been reared in the highly restricted environment of a research laboratory?

But though these references may well explain why it was in fact in such and such a determined set of circumstances and in answer to such and such a precise question that these sciences were articulated, nevertheless, their intrinsic possibility, the simple fact that man, whether in isolation or as a group, and for the first time since human beings have existed and have lived together in societies, should have become the object of science - that cannot be considered or treated as a phenomenon of opinion: it is an event in the order of knowledge.

There seems to be some sort of asymptotic phenomenon that takes over when we enlarge.

Water and atmospherics will take precedence over everything, and they are global phenomena.

Its attendant phenomena grow colorless, more forced, and one by one they fade away: Equality, Democracy, Happiness, Instability, Commercialism, High Finance and its power of Money, Class War, Trade as an end in itself, Social Atomism, Parliamentarism, Liberalism, Communism, Materialism, Mass-Propaganda.