phenomenon - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

phenomenon

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/fɪˈnɒmɪnən/

US:USA pronunciation: IPAUSA pronunciation: IPA/fɪˈnɑməˌnɑn, -nən/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(fi nom′ə non′, -nən)


Inflections of 'phenomenon' (n):
phenomena
npl
phenomenons
npl

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024
phe•nom•e•non /fɪˈnɑməˌnɑn, -nən/USA pronunciation   n. [countable], pl. -na /-nə/USA pronunciation  or -nons. 
  1. a fact or circumstance observed or observable:the phenomena of nature.
  2. someone or something remarkable.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024
phe•nom•e•non  (fi nom′ə non′, -nən),USA pronunciation n., pl. -na (-nə)USA pronunciation or, esp. for 3, -nons. 
  1. a fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable:to study the phenomena of nature.
  2. something that is impressive or extraordinary.
  3. a remarkable or exceptional person;
    prodigy;
    wonder.
  4. Philosophy
    • an appearance or immediate object of awareness in experience.
    • [Kantianism.]a thing as it appears to and is constructed by the mind, as distinguished from a noumenon, or thing-in-itself.
  • Greek phainómenon appearance, noun, nominal use of neuter of phainómenos, present participle of phaínesthai to appear, passive of phaínein to show
  • Late Latin phaenomenon
  • 1595–1605
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged event, incident.
    • 2, 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged marvel, miracle.
    As with other plurals of Latin or Greek origin, like media and criteria, there is a tendency to use the plural phenomena as a singular (This phenomena will not be seen again), but such use occurs infrequently in edited writing. The plural form phenomenas, though occasionally seen, has even less currency.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
phenomenon /fɪˈnɒmɪnən/ n ( pl -ena / -ɪnə/, -enons)
  1. anything that can be perceived as an occurrence or fact by the senses
  2. any remarkable occurrence or person
  3. the object of perception, experience, etc
  4. (in the writings of Kant) a thing as it appears and is interpreted in perception and reflection, as distinguished from its real nature as a thing-in-itself
Etymology: 16th Century: via Late Latin from Greek phainomenon, from phainesthai to appear, from phainein to show
USAGE
Although phenomena is often treated as if it were singular, correct usage is to employ phenomenon with a singular construction and phenomena with a plural: that is an interesting phenomenon (not phenomena); several new phenomena were recorded in his notes
'phenomenon' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
-ergic - Barkhausen effect - Bragg scattering - Brocken - Brocken bow - Brocken specter - Doppler effect - Edison effect - Josephson junction - Lederberg - Mössbauer effect - Seebeck effect - Teilhard de Chardin - Thomson effect - agent - alumnus - ancestry - angry - antecedent - antiresonance - arc-back - aurora - background - booster - capillarity - chemiluminescence - chemistry - conscious - constancy - contrast - cycle - diachronic - diamagnetism - diamond ring effect - diffraction - eclipse - effect - electricity - electron diffraction - epiphenomenon - example - ferrimagnetism - ferromagnetism - firestorm - freak - freak of nature - free jazz - function - greenhouse effect - hard sign
Collocations: is [a strange, a known, a strange, a complex, an unexplainable] phenomenon, the phenomenon in question, the phenomenon of [social media, globalization], more...

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