sphex

S1P3H4E1X8
/sfɛks/

noun

Any of the sand wasps of Sphex and allied genera.

Origintranslingual Sphex ← Ancient Greek σφήξ ← Latin Sphēgēs →
Scrabble 17
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounsphex (plural spheges)

plural spheges

  1. biologyAny of the sand wasps of Sphex and allied genera.

Origin

  1. LatinSphēgēs
  2. Ancient Greekσφήξ“wasp”
  3. translingualSphex
  4. Englishsphex

Borrowed from translingual Sphex, from the Ancient Greek σφήξ (sphḗx, “wasp”), plural σφῆκες (sphêkes). The plural spheges is likely a borrowing from Latin Sphēgēs.

More words from translingual, Ancient Greek, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French sphex
  • sphexSphex-genus wasp
Latin Sphēx
  • SphēxSphex-genus wasp
Russian сфе́кс
  • сфе́кс (sféks)Sphex-genus wasp
Cite this entry
APA

sphex. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sphex

MLA

“sphex.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sphex. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sphex,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sphex.

Source: sphex on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.