phainomenon

Phainomenon is the transliteration of the Ancient Greek φαίνόμενον (phainómenon), meaning “that which appears” or “appearance.” It is the neuter singular participle of the verb φαίνω (phaínō), “to appear, to reveal.” In English, the standard term is phenomenon, but phainomenon is used in scholarly contexts to emphasize the word’s Greek origin and historical usage. The plural in Greek is phainomena.

In philosophy, phainomenon refers to appearances or the way objects are given to perception and experience. The term is closely related to, and often discussed alongside, the notion of phenomena in Kantian and post-Kantian thought, where philosophers distinguish between phenomena (things as they appear to us) and noumena (things as they are in themselves). The Greek form is sometimes employed in etymological or historical discussions to highlight the roots of these ideas.

Classical Greek texts use a form of φαίνόμενον simply to mean “that which shines forth” or “appears,” without the modern epistemological connotations. In English-language philosophy, the word phenomenon has become the dominant rendering, while phainomenon appears mainly in works that stress linguistic origins or the Greek background of the concept.

See also: phenomenon, noumenon, Kant, epistemology, ontology.