phenomena

English

Pronunciation

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Alternative forms

• phænomena (archaic)
• phœnomena (archaic, erroneous)

Noun

phenomena pl

1. Plural form of phenomenon..
   • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 2, The Mirror and the Lamp^[1]:

     She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid, […]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.

Usage notes

• In correct English, the term phenomena is always plural, with no exceptions. It is widely used incorrectly as a singular noun.