Definition of 'phenomenon'
Video: pronunciation of
phenomenon
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
Word Frequency
phenomenon in British English
nounWord forms: plural -ena (-ɪnə
) or -enons
▶ 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 notes1.
2.
any remarkable occurrence or person
3. philosophy
a.
the object of perception, experience, etc
b.
(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
Compare noumenonCollins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C16: via Late Latin from Greek phainomenon, from phainesthai to appear, from phainein to show
Word Frequency
phenomenon in American English
nounWord forms: plural pheˈnomena (fəˈnɑmənə
) or pheˈnomeˌnons
1.
any event, circumstance, or experience that is apparent to the senses and that can be scientifically described or appraised, as an eclipse
2.
in Kantian philosophy, a thing as it appears in perception as distinguished from the thing as it is in
itself independent of sense experience
see also noumenon3.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
LL phaenomenon < Gr phainomenon, neut. prp. of phainesthai, to appear, akin to phainein: see fantasyWord Frequency
phenomenon in American English
(fɪˈnɑməˌnɑn, -nən)
nounWord forms: plural -na (-nə) or esp. for 3 -nons
SYNONYMS 1. event, incident. 2, 3. marvel, miracle.USAGE 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 currency1.
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
a.
an appearance or immediate object of awareness in experience
b. Kantian Philosophy
a thing as it appears to and is constructed by the mind, as distinguished from a noumenon, or thing-in-itself
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1595–1605; ‹ LL phaenomenon ‹ Gk phainómenon appearance, n. use of neut. of phainómenos, prp. of phaínesthai to appear, pass. of phaínein to show]Examples of 'phenomenon' in a sentence
phenomenon
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In other languages
phenomenon
British English: phenomenon
NOUN /fɪˈnɒmɪnən/
A phenomenon is something that is observed to happen or exist.
...scientific explanations of natural phenomena.
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Definition of phenomenon from the Collins English Dictionary
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Shakespeare
William. 1564–1616, English dramatist and poet. He was born and died at Stratford-upon-Avon but spent most of his life as an actor and playwright in London. His plays with approximate dates of composition are: Henry VI, Parts I–III (1590); Richard III (1592); The Comedy of Errors (1592); Titus Andronicus (1593); The Taming of the Shrew (1593); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594); Love's Labour's Lost (1594); Romeo and Juliet (1594); Richard II (1595); A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595); King John (1596); The Merchant of Venice (1596); Henry IV, Parts I–II (1597); Much Ado about Nothing (1598); Henry V (1598); Julius Caesar (1599); As You Like It (1599); Twelfth Night (1599); Hamlet (1600); The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600); Troilus and Cressida (1601); All's Well that ends Well (1602); Measure for Measure (1604); Othello (1604); King Lear (1605); Macbeth (1605); Antony and Cleopatra (1606); Coriolanus (1607); Timon of Athens (1607); Pericles (1608); Cymbeline (1609); The Winter's Tale (1610); The Tempest (1611); and, possibly in collaboration with John Fletcher , Two Noble Kinsmen (1612) and Henry VIII (1612). His Sonnets , variously addressed to a fair young man and a dark lady , were published in 1609
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