phalanx
noun /ˈfælæŋks/
/ˈfeɪlæŋks/
(formal)- (plural phalanxes)a group of people or things standing very close together
- The protesters ran into a solid phalanx of riot police.
- (plural phalanges(anatomy) a bone of the finger or toe/fəˈlændʒiz//fəˈlændʒiz/)
Word Originmid 16th cent. (denoting a body of Macedonian infantry): via Latin from Greek.