falange

See also: Falange

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin phalangem, from Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx, “battle order, array”). Cf. also the related palanca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [fəˈlaɲ.ʒə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [faˈlaɲ.d͡ʒe]
• IPA^(key): (Northwestern) [faˈlaɲ.ʒe]

Noun

falange f (plural falanges)

1. phalanx (Ancient Greek military unit)
2. phalanx (bone)

Derived terms

• falangeta
• falàngic

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin phalangem, from Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx, “battle order, array”). See also the related falanga and palanca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /faˈlan.d͡ʒe/
• Rhymes: -andʒe
• Hyphenation: fa‧làn‧ge

Noun

falange f (plural falangi)

1. (anatomy) phalanx
2. (military) phalanx

   una falange di armati ― a phalanx of armed men

3. (figurative, by extension) army, horde

   una falange di avvocati ― an army of lawyers

Related terms

• falanga
• falangetta
• falangina
• falangismo
• falangista
• falansterio

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• phalange (pre-standardization spelling)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵ-der.?

Pre-Greekder.

Ancient Greek φᾰ́λᾰγξ (phắlănx)bor.

Latin phalangemlbor.

Portuguese falange

Learned borrowing from Latin phalangem (“phalanx”), borrowed from Ancient Greek φᾰ́λᾰγξ (phắlănx). Compare also the related palanca.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /faˈlɐ̃.ʒi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /fɐˈlɐ̃.ʒɨ/

• Rhymes: -ɐ̃ʒi, -ɐ̃ʒɨ
• Hyphenation: fa‧lan‧ge

Noun

falange f (plural falanges, diminutive falanginha)

1. (anatomy) phalanx; phalange

   Hypernym: osso

   Holonym: dedo

   Meronyms: falange proximal, falange média, falange distal, falanginha, falangeta

2. (anatomy, dated) proximal phalange

   Synonym: falange proximal

3. (military, historical, Ancient Greece) phalanx

   Meronym: hoplita

   Coordinate term: legião

4. (collective) legion

   Synonym: legião

Related terms

• falange distal
• falange média
• falange proximal
• falangeta

Further reading

• “falange”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “falange”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin phalangem (“phalanx”), from Ancient Greek φάλαγξ (phálanx, “battle order, array”). Cf. also the related palanca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /faˈlanxe/ [faˈlãŋ.xe]
• Rhymes: -anxe
• Syllabification: fa‧lan‧ge

Noun

falange f (plural falanges)

1. (anatomy) phalanx (one of the bones of the finger or toe)

   Hypernym: hueso

   Holonym: dedo

   Meronyms: falangina, falangeta

2. (politics) phalange
3. (military, historical, Ancient Greece) phalanx

   Meronym: hoplita

   Coordinate term: legión

Derived terms

• falángico
• interfalángico
• metacarpofalángico
• metatarsofalángico

Further reading

• “falange”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• falange on the Spanish Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^es