Emily Dickinson Lexicon

phantasm (-s), n. [Fr. < L. phantasma < Gk φάνασμα, appearance, phantom, image.] (webplay: dream, external).

1. Nightmare; haunting dream; trick of the imagination.
2. Illusion; [fig.] vague memory; nearly forgotten concept.

phantom, adj. [ME < OFr < L. < Gk, see phantasm, n.] (webplay: show).

1. Unattainable; elusive; illusory; deceptive.
2. Delicate; ethereal; fragile; exquisite; translucent.
3. Unseen; invisible; distant; [fig.] heavenly; celestial; located in the spiritual realm.

phantom (-s), n. [see phantom, adj.]

1. Ghost; apparition; imaginary person; figment of the imagination.
2. Mystery; riddle; puzzle; conundrum; difficult question.

pharaoh, n. [L. < Gk < Heb. < Egypt., 'great house.']

Powerful monarch; supreme ruler; mighty commander of royal Egyptian forces.

pharmacy, n. [Fr. < late L. < Gk φαρμακεία, the practice of the druggist.] (webplay: drugs).

Cure; medication; treatment; therapy; remedy; panacea.

Phebe (-s), proper n. [variant spelling of “Phoebe”; L. Phœbe < Gk φοίβη, bright, radiant.]

1. Flycatcher; pewit; pewee; small eastern North American songbird named after its call; [fig.] springtime; sign of approaching spring; (see ED's letters).
2. Commonplace bird; insignificant being; humble creature; [fig.] girl; poet; Artemis; Diana; moon goddess; moonlight personified.

phial (-s), n. [ME < Fr. fiole < late L. < Gk φιἀλη, broad flat vessel.]

Medicine bottle; transparent container; empty receptacle; hollow vessel; [fig.] bloodless corpse; pallid body of a deceased mortal; physical frame from which the spirit has departed.

Philip, proper n. [Gk 'fond of horses'.]

1. Disciple of Jesus; one of the twelve original apostles of Christ; New Testament follower known for his inquisitive mind (see John 14).
2. Philip van Artevelde (1340?-1382); hero of Sir Henry Taylor's 1834 verse play; man who led the men of Ghent against the forces of the Count of Flanders in the 12^th Century; tragic character who died an inglorious death by being trampled.

philology, n. [L. < Gk φιλο-, love + λόγος, word, speech.] (webplay: comprehends, language, love, poetry, words).

1. Words; etymology; vocabulary; the lexicon; the dictionary; the set of all lexical items in a language; the body of knowledge about the origin and history of words.
2. Scripture; holy writ; truth as recorded in sacred writings; the Bible story of Enoch being translated from this life to the next without experiencing death (see Genesis 5:21-24); [fig.] power to comfort with words; a desire to express facts in reassuring language.
3. Love of language; respect for words; attention to written discourse; devotion to the deep study of language; desire to understand the nature of words; intense interest in the historical connection between words; [fig.] divine poetry; devotional verse; marriage of meaning and symbols; [metaphor] Holy Communion; pondering of the meaning of the Sacrament; love of the Word of God, another name for Jesus Christ (see John 1:1, 1:14); desire to understand the mystery of Christ's Atonement.

philosopher, n. [Late ME < L. < Gk φιλος, loving + υοφύς, wise.] (webplay: advantages, God, gold, knowledge, mind, school, science, Philosopher's stone, wisdom).

1. Wise person; knowledgeable one; educated person; professor.
2. Serious student; deep thinker; one who ponders; person who contemplates; somber scholar; solemn seer.
3. Alchemist; one who seeks a method for converting the baser metals into gold; scientist who believes in the existence of a “philosopher's stone” which will turn metals into gold.
4. Person aware of the laws of gravity, e.g. Isaac Newton.