Progression

phoenix (FEE-niks) noun

1. A person or thing of unparalleled beauty or excellence.

2. A person or thing that has regenerated or rejuvenated after a great misfortune.

[After a fabulous bird of great beauty in Egyptian mythology. It lived to 500 years and burned itself on a funeral pyre to be born again from the ashes.]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=phoenix

"[Oprah Winfrey] is a phoenix who rose from the ashes and became self-sufficient and highly respected."
Beverly Stewart; Small Business Spotlight; The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware); Mar 31, 2005.

This week's theme: allusions and personifications.

Permalink:

http://wordsmith.org/words/phoenix.html

Posted by Keya at May 6, 2005 08:28 PM