criosphinx

[ krahy-uh-sfingks ]

/ ˈkraɪ əˌsfɪŋks /

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noun, plural cri·o·sphinx·es, cri·o·sphin·ges

[krahy-uh-sfin-jeez]. /ˌkraɪ əˈsfɪn dʒiz/.

a sphinx with the head of a ram instead of a human.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

Origin of criosphinx

First recorded in 1805–10; from Greek kríos “ram” + sphinx