Everyday LifeGreek → English
Phenomenon
/fɪˈnɒmɪnən/
An observable fact or remarkable occurrence.
The Greek roots
φαινόμενον
phainómenon
thing appearing
Literally: “that which appears”
Follow a root:φαινόμενον2 words
The story of the word
Rooted in the verb 'to appear', a phenomenon is literally something that shows itself to observation.
The same roots elsewhere
Other languages reached for exactly the same Greek pieces.
In a sentence
The northern lights are a breathtaking phenomenon.