A.Word.A.Day -- phoenix

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phoenix

phoenix (FEE-niks) noun

1. A person or thing of unparalleled beauty or excellence.

2. A person or thing that has regenerated or rejuvenated after a great misfortune.

[After a fabulous bird of great beauty in Egyptian mythology. It lived to 500 years and burned itself on a funeral pyre to be born again from the ashes.]

See more usage examples of phoenix in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

"[Oprah Winfrey] is a phoenix who rose from the ashes and became self-sufficient and highly respected."
Beverly Stewart; Small Business Spotlight; The News Journal (Wilmington, Delaware); Mar 31, 2005.

X-Bonus

Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. -Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect and author (1743-1826)

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