noun. A bird in Egyptian mythology that lived in the desert for 500 years and then consumed itself by fire, later to rise renewed from its ashes.

noun. A person or thing of unsurpassed excellence or beauty; a paragon.

noun. A constellation in the Southern Hemisphere near Tucana and Sculptor.

noun. A mythological bird, said to be the only one of its kind, which lives for 500 years and then dies by burning to ashes on a pyre of its own making, ignited by the sun. It then arises anew from the ashes.

noun. Anything that is reborn after apparently being destroyed. Usually used as a simile.

"Also known widely as the Fire Bird, the phoenix is a profound symbol of the circle of life."