phase

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phase¹

  • /feɪz/

Sounds like faze · Rhymes with -eɪz

Where it comes from

Borrowed from New Latin phasis, borrowed from Ancient Greek φάσις (phásis, “appearance”), from φᾰ(ν)- (phă(n)-, root of φαίνω (phaínō, “to bring to light; to appear”)) + -σῐς (-sĭs).

Compare phantasm and see face.

noun phases

  1. A distinguishable part of a sequence or cycle occurring over time. It would have been a simple enough move to warn the firm, but Max Carrados's interest lay in the phase of crime rather than in forestalling it, and on that score he had little tangible as yet […]
  2. That which is exhibited to the eye; the appearance which anything manifests, especially any one among different and varying appearances of the same object.
  3. Any appearance or aspect of an object of mental apprehension or view. The problem has many phases.
  4. A particular appearance or state in a regularly recurring cycle of changes with respect to quantity of illumination or form, or the absence, of a body's illuminated disk. Illustrated in Wikipedia's article Lunar phase. the phases of the moon
  5. Any one point or portion in a recurring series of changes, as in the changes of motion of one of the particles constituting a wave or vibration; one portion of a series of such changes, in distinction from a contrasted portion, as the portion on one side of a position of equilibrium, in contrast with that on the opposite side.
  6. A component in a material system that is distinguished by chemical composition and/or physical state (solid, liquid or gas) and/or crystal structure. It is delineated from an adjoining phase by an abrupt change in one or more of those conditions.
  7. In certain organisms, one of two or more colour variations characteristic of the species, but independent of the ordinary seasonal and sexual differences, and often also of age.
  8. The period of play between consecutive breakdowns. When Romania did manage to string together some phases midway through the first half, England's discipline held firm, although on the whole it was a less focused display from the Six Nations champions in the second half.
  9. A haplotype.
  10. The counterclockwise angle from the positive half of the real number line to the vector pointing to a complex number on an Argand diagram of the complex plane, which has the positive real line pointing right and the positive imaginary number line pointing up.

    Similar: argument

  11. A distortion caused by a difference in the speed of propagation for different frequencies
  12. In a polyphase electrical power system, one of the power-carrying conductors, or the alternating current carried by it.

    Similar: line conductor

verb phases · phasing · phased

  1. with in or out To begin—if construed with "in"—or to discontinue—if construed with out—(doing) something over a period of time (i.e. in phases). The use of the obsolete machines was gradually phased out as the new models were phased in.
  2. informal, transitive To determine haplotypes in (data) when genotypes are known.
  3. To pass into or through a solid object. Anyone who has lost their way in cyberspace—realizing they have just phased into what they had previously categorized as 'solid' matter—will understand this example.
  4. To use a phaser.

phase²

verb phases · phasing · phased

  1. alternative, proscribed Alternative spelling of faze

phase³

Where it comes from

From Latin phase (“passover”), Phasa, from Hebrew פָּסַח (pésach).

proper noun Phase

  1. obsolete Passover

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: stage, phase angle, segment, part, period, section, tranche, aligned, component, process, sync, aspect, synchronous, synchronized, portion, project

Translations

Every language

noun distinguishable part of a sequence

Españolfase
한국어단계 dan'gye
日本語段階 dankai
中文階段 /阶段 jiēduàn
हिन्दीचरण caraṇ
Portuguêsfase
Françaisphase
DeutschPhase
Italianofase
Ελληνικάφάση fási
Românăfază
Русскийфа́за fáza
Tiếng Việtgiai đoạn
العربيةمَرْحَلَة marḥala
עבריתשָׁלָב \ שְׁלָב shaláv, sh'láv, פאזה

noun that which is exhibited to the eye

Русскийфа́за fáza, ста́дия stádija, пери́од períod

noun aspect of an object or view

Italianoaspetto, faccia
Русскийаспе́кт aspékt, сторона́ storoná

noun astronomy: particular appearance or state in a regularly recurring cycle

Españolfase
Italianofase
Românăfază
Русскийфа́за fáza

noun physics: point or portion in a recurring series of changes

Españolfase
हिन्दीप्रावस्था prāvasthā
Portuguêsfase
Românăfază
Русскийфа́за fáza

noun chemistry: component in a material system

हिन्दीप्रावस्था prāvasthā
Românăfază
Русскийфа́за fáza

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Cite this
MLA

"phase." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/phase. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

phase. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/phase

Chicago

"phase." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/phase.

BibTeX
@misc{phase_2026,
  title = {phase},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/phase},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}