Plural word for phenomenon

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English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

• phaenomenon, phænomenon (archaic)
• phainomenon (archaic, academic, or technical)
• phœnomenon (hypercorrect, obsolete)

Etymology[edit]

From Late Latin phaenomenon (“appearance”), from Ancient Greek φαινόμενον (phainómenon, “thing appearing to view”), neuter present middle participle of φαίνω (phaínō, “I show”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• Singular:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fəˈnɒmɪnən/, /fɪ-/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /fəˈnɑməˌnɑn/, /-nən/
  • Hyphenation: phe‧no‧me‧non
• Plural (phenomena):
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /fəˈnɒmɪnə/, /fɪ-/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /fəˈnɑmənə/
  • Hyphenation: phe‧no‧me‧na

Noun[edit]

phenomenon (plural phenomena or (nonstandard) phenomenons or phenomenon)

1. A thing or being, event or process, perceptible through senses; or a fact or occurrence thereof.
   • 1900, Andrew Lang, The Making of Religion, ch. 1:

     The Indians, making a hasty inference from a trivial phenomenon, arrived unawares at a probably correct conclusion.

   • 2007, «Ask the Experts: Hurricanes,» USA Today, 7 Nov. (retrieved 16 Jan. 2009):

     Hurricanes are a meteorological phenomenon.

2. (by extension) A knowable thing or event (eg by inference, especially in science)

   An electromagnetic phenomenon.

3. A kind or type of phenomenon (sense 1 or 2)

   A volcanic eruption is an impressive phenomenon.

4. Appearance; a perceptible aspect of something that is mutable.
   • 1662, Thomas Salusbury (translator), Galileo’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief Systems of the World, First Day:

     I verily believe that in the Moon there are no rains, for if Clouds should gather in any part thereof, as they do about the Earth, they would thereupon hide from our sight some of those things, which we with the Telescope behold in the Moon, and in a word, would some way or other change its Phœnomenon.

5. A fact or event considered very unusual, curious, or astonishing by those who witness it.

   • 1816, [Walter Scott], chapter 18, in The Antiquary. […], volume I, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:

     The phenomenon of a huge blazing fire, upon the opposite bank of the glen, again presented itself to the eye of the watchman. . . . He resolved to examine more nearly the object of his wonder.

6. A wonderful or very remarkable person or thing.

   • 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 23, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC:

     «This, sir,» said Mr Vincent Crummles, bringing the maiden forward, «this is the infant phenomenon—Miss Ninetta Crummles.»

   • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, «The Phantom Rickshaw»:

     But, all the same, you’re a phenomenon, and as queer a phenomenon as you are a blackguard.

7. (philosophy, chiefly Kantian idealism) An experienced object whose constitution reflects the order and conceptual structure imposed upon it by the human mind (especially by the powers of perception and understanding).
   • 1900, S. Tolver Preston, «Comparison of Some Views of Spencer and Kant,» Mind, vol. 9, no. 34, p. 234:

     Every «phenomenon» must be, at any rate, partly subjective or dependent on the subject.

   • 1912, Roy Wood Sellars, «Is There a Cognitive Relation?» The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific Methods, vol. 9, no. 9, p. 232:

     The Kantian phenomenon is the real as we are compelled to think it.

Usage notes[edit]

• The universal, common, modern spelling of this term is phenomenon. Of the alternative forms listed above, phaenomenon, phænomenon, and phainomenon are etymologically consistent, retaining the αι diphthong from its Ancient Greek etymon φαινόμενον (phainómenon); in the case of the first two, it is in the Romanised form of the Latin ae diphthong, whereas in the latter it is a direct transcription of the original Ancient Greek. The form spelt with œ has no etymological basis. All those alternative forms are pronounced identically with phenomenon and are archaic, except for phainomenon, which sees some technical use in academia and is pronounced with an initial fī ([faɪ],).
• By far the most common and universally accepted plural form is the classical phenomena; the Anglicised phenomenons is also sometimes used. The plural form phenomena is frequently used in the singular, and the singular form is sometimes used in the plural. Arising from this nonstandard use, the double plurals phenomenas and phenomenae, as well as a form employing the greengrocer’s apostrophe — phenomena’s — are also seen.

Synonyms[edit]

• (observable fact or occurrence): event
• (unusual, curious, or astonishing fact or event): marvel, miracle, oddity, wonder, legend
• (wonderful person or thing): marvel, miracle, phenom, prodigy, wonder, legend

Antonyms[edit]

• (philosophy: experienced object structured by the mind): noumenon, thing-in-itself

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• phenomenon in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• “phenomenon”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Singular or plural…which is which?

English plurals are usually easy for students to form—just add ‑s to the end of the singular word. But, like almost all of the rules in English grammar, there are exceptions. Often these exceptions come from words that are borrowed from other languages such as Greek or Latin. The head writer at ESL Library recently asked me about phenomenon and phenomena, and I was surprised that there was more to it than simply singular vs. plural. I thought I’d investigate medium and media while I was at it, too, since media is a word frequently used these days.

Borrowed from Greek, the English word phenomenon is the most common singular form and phenomena is the most common plural form. In fact, both the Oxford Canadian Dictionary and the Chicago Manual of Style list only these two entries.

However, both Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage go into greater detail on the usage and history of the word. They list the possible plural forms as phenomena (the much more common form) when the meaning is «an observable fact or event» but phenomenons when the meaning is «an exceptional, unusual, or abnormal person, things, or occurrence.»

Did you know that phenomena has been in use as a singular form, primarily in speech, since 1576? How about phenomenas as a plural form since 1635? Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage suggests that the singular phenomena is no more irregular than the words «agenda» and «stamina,» which are clearly accepted as singular. However, they don’t recommend using phenomena as a singular form until it becomes much more common in speech and print, if it ever does. Let’s keep the confusion to a minimum!

My Conclusion

Majority rules: Use phenomenon for the singular and phenomena for the plural, at least for now!

Medium Vs. Media

Borrowed from Latin, the English words medium and media are tricky because they have more than one meaning. In most meanings outside of «mass media,» the singular form is medium and the plural is media. But our students are likely primarily concerned with the «mass media» (TV, radio, social media, etc.) meaning. What are the forms for this case? Here’s where there is a bit of disagreement, which mostly stems from whether you look at media as a plural count noun (that takes a plural verb form) or a non-count noun (that takes a singular verb form).

• The Oxford Canadian Dictionary says that media can be treated as singular or plural (i.e., the media is…, the media are…).
• The Chicago Manual of Style says that media is a plural form (i.e., the media are…).
• Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary says that media is singular or plural in construction (i.e., the media is…, the media are…).
• Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage goes into greater detail, saying that the non-count use (i.e., singular verb) of media seems to be on the rise, similar to the non-count use of the word data. However, they also note that, for all meanings, media as a plural count noun or non-count noun with a plural verb is still far more common than media as a singular count noun or non-count noun with a singular verb. Who knew?

And, as a side note, the plural of medium as in «spiritual» (such as a fortune teller) is mediums!

My Conclusion

Well, media has me more confused now than before I looked into it! Personally, I’ve mostly heard and used media as a non-count noun with a singular verb, and will continue to do so (as in «The media is having a field day with this latest scandal.»).

Sources

• The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, section 5.220
• Oxford Canadian Dictionary of Current English
• Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition
• Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage

Last Update: Jan 03, 2023

This is a question our experts keep getting from time to time. Now, we have got the complete detailed explanation and answer for everyone, who is interested!

Asked by: Emelie Deckow

Score: 4.3/5
(40 votes)

Phenomena has been in occasional use as a singular since the early 18th century, as has the plural phenomenas. Our evidence shows that singular phenomena is primarily a speech form used by poets, critics, and professors, among others, but one that sometimes turns up in edited prose.

What is a singular form of phenomena?

The singular is ‘phenomenon. ‘ The plural is ‘phenomena. ‘

Is phenomenon a countable noun?

phe•nom•e•non /fɪˈnɑməˌnɑn, -nən/ n. [countable], pl. -na /-nə/ or -nons. a fact or circumstance observed or observable:the phenomena of nature.

What is the difference between phenomena and phenomena?

Despite occasional usage to the contrary, you should use phenomenon as a singular noun and phenomena as its plural. … Phenomenon is only ever a singular word. Phenomena is its plural. Phenomenons is accepted when referring to people.

How do you use phenomena in a sentence?

36 related questions found

Last Updated:
5 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences