definition #1 : A marvelous person or thing
definition #2 : A genus of palms including the date tree

Knowing these, how would you put the word "phoenix" into a sentence that describes each of the meanings? Thanks for your help!

Hello Sushi, hello MisterM

Phoenix is the name Theophrastus used for this genus in his Enquiry into Plants (he also uses it for Chamaerops humilis, the dwarf fan palm). He doesn't offer an explanation of the name, as far as I can see; it seems simply to be the Greek word for the plant. Perhaps it relates to Phoenicia. He mentions a very old Phoenix on Delos, under which Leto was supposed to have given birth to Apollo and Artemis.

According to D.J. Mabberley's Plant Book, P. dactylifera has been cultivated since around 4000BC; some possibly wild plants exist in the NE Sahara and Arabia, but their fruits are inedible. The now endangered P. theophrasti appears in Minoan frescoes.

I have seen 'phoenix' used for 'a marvellous person', but can't recall where. An 18th century hyperbole, perhaps. The sense of 'uniqueness' is the one to emphasize, in this context: that only one such person can exist at any time.

'Pele is the phoenix of football.' 'Gary Kasparov is the phoenix of chess.' Hmm. It doesn't really work these days; in fact, you could say it sounds a little dated.

MrP