Memphis

¹ American  

[mem-fis] / ˈmɛm fɪs /

noun

1. a port in SW Tennessee, on the Mississippi.

2. a ruined city in Lower Egypt, on the Nile, S of Cairo: the ancient capital of Egypt.

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Memphis ² American  

[mem-fis] / ˈmɛm fɪs /

noun

1. a group of international designers and architects, formed in the 1980s and based in Milan, whose work is characterized by the use of bold colors, geometric shapes, and unconventional, often playful, designs.

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adjective

1. of or relating to this group or its style of design.

Memphis British  

/ ˈmɛmfɪs /

noun

1. a port in SW Tennessee, on the Mississippi River: the largest city in the state; a major cotton and timber market; Memphis State University (1909). Pop: 645 978 (2003 est)

2. a ruined city in N Egypt, the ancient centre of Lower Egypt, on the Nile: administrative and artistic centre, sacred to the worship of Ptah

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Memphis Cultural  

1. Largest city in Tennessee; located on the Mississippi River.

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Etymology

Origin of Memphis

The name was allegedly suggested to Ettore Sottsass, one of the group's founders, by the Bob Dylan song “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” on the evening of December 11, 1980

Example Sentences

Located in Memphis, Tennessee, the facility had been underutilized by his xAI lab, the creator of the Grok chatbot.

From Barron's • Jun. 1, 2026

Musk's surprise decision to lease out his Colossus data center in Memphis to rival Anthropic is seen as a possible sign that his ambitions for xAI are not being met.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

Brandon Clarke, a former first-round draft pick who spent all seven of his NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, has died.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke has died at the age of 29, the NBA team has confirmed.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

“Oh, I just like to go in to the factory and check on things in the morning. And then around noon I drive to Memphis and visit our warehouse.”

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green