This word is from the Spanish esfinge.
ispinghe
sphinx
sphinx
higanteng istatwa na may ulo ng tao at katawan ng leon
giant statue with a human head and a lion’s body
The word espinghe is closer to Spanish, and there is now a trend among representatives of the KWF (Commision on the Filipino Language) to veer more closely to the original Spanish, rather than going the other way in Tagalizing the spelling of foreign loanwords.
You are now more likely to see the spelling espinghe used by Filipinos. In the 1970s, ispinghe was the preferred spelling in Philippine textbooks.
MGA KAHULUGAN SA TAGALOG
espínghe: sa alamat, dambuhalang may ulo ng babae at katawan ng leong may pakpak
espínghe: sa sinaunang Egypt, pigurang bató na may katawan ng leon at ulo ng tao o hayop
espinhe, ispinhe
