phoenix phoenix Etymology From Old English - and Old French fenix, from Medieval Latin phenix, from Latin phoenīx, from Old Greek φοῖνιξ, from Ancient Egyptian bnw. Pronunciation - enPR: fē'nĭks, IPA: /ˈfiːnɪks/ Noun 1. (mythology) A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making, ignited by the sun. It then arises anew from the ashes. - 1609, William Shakespeare, Sonnet 19: burn the long-lived phoenix in her blood 2. (figuratively) Anything that is reborn after apparently being destroyed. Usually used as a simile. Astronomers believe planets might form in this dead star's disk, like the mythical Phoenix rising up out of the ashes. 3. (Chinese mythology) A mythological Chinese chi