fox
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /fɒks/
ipa: /fɑks/
rhymes: -ɒks
Forms: form: foxes
form: foxen
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *púḱsos
Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz
Old English fox
Middle English fox
English fox
From Middle English fox, from Old English fox (“fox”), from Proto-West Germanic *fuhs, from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz (“fox”), from Proto-Indo-European *púḱsos (“the tailed one”), possibly from *puḱ- (“tail”).
Cognate with Scots fox (“fox”), North Frisian foos, fos (“fox”), Saterland Frisian Foaks (“fox”), West Frisian foks (“fox”), Dutch vos (“fox”), Low German vos (“fox”), German Fuchs (“fox”), Icelandic fóa (“fox”), Tocharian B päkā (“tail, chowrie”), Russian пух (pux, “down, fluff”), Sanskrit पुच्छ (púccha) (whence Torwali پوش (pūš, “fox”), Hindi पूंछ (pūñch, “tail”)).
Philosophical sense from the 1953 essay The Hedgehog and the Fox by Isaiah Berlin. Military aviation sense from the pre-NATO military spelling alphabet where Fox represented F and was short for 'to fire'.
Senses: examples: text: A group of foxes is called a skulk.
ref: 2019 June 6, “A gaggle, a confusion and a conspiracy - bizarre animal collective group names”, in BBC:
glosses: A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
Any member of the genus Vulpes; a true fox.
examples: text: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
text: The fox went out on a chase one night, / he prayed to the Moon to give him light, / for he had many a mile to go that night / before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o. / He had many a mile to go that night / before he reached the town-o.
ref: 15ᵗʰ century, The Fox, verse 1
text: They burned the old gun that used to stand in the dark corner up in the garret, close to the stuffed fox that always grinned so fiercely. Perhaps the reason why he seemed in such a ghastly rage was that he did not come by his death fairly. Otherwise his pelt would not have been so perfect. And why else was he put away up there out of sight?—and so magnificent a brush as he had too.
ref: 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], “The First Gun”, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC, page 1:
text: It was earliest morning, when even small trees cast long shadows and scarlet foxes trot denward through the dew like flecks of fire.
ref: 1987, Gene Wolfe, chapter XXVIII, in The Urth of the New Sun, 1st US edition, New York: Tor Books, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 164:
glosses: A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
Any member of the genus Vulpes; a true fox.
The red fox, a small carnivore (Vulpes vulpes) with red or silver fur.
raw_tags: in particular
glosses: A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
Other canines that resemble true foxes, of the genera Cerdocyon, Lycalopex, Otocyon, and Urocyon.
hypernyms: canid
glosses: The fur of a fox.
glosses: A fox terrier.
glosses: The gemmeous dragonet, a fish, Callionymus lyra, so called from its yellow color.
examples: text: As for thee, false friend, subtle fox, unfaithful servant, this long time am I grown weary of thee slinking up and down my palace devising darkly things I know not: thou, that art nought akin to Witchland, but an outlander, a Goblin exile, a serpent warmed in my bosom to my hurt.
ref: 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 24:
glosses: A cunning person.
examples: text: And Jerry was cute, you know, I liked him, but Frank was a total fox. And he was rougher than Jerry, you know, not so cultured.
ref: 1993, Laura Antoniou, The Marketplace, page 90:
text: It wasn't just that Jayne was a fox – although, fuck, was she ever a fox. That arse, those tits, those lips. They could have a really good time together.
ref: 2012, Adele Parks, Still Thinking of You:
synonyms: word: beaut
word: beauty
word: bobby-dazzler
word: crumpet
word: dish
word: dreamboat
word: eye candy
word: good looker
word: looker
word: lulu
word: sex on a stick
word: sex on legs
word: smoke show
word: stunna
word: stunner
word: beefcake
word: bona omi
word: chicken
word: chick magnet
word: dimber cove
word: dreamboat
word: himbo
word: hunk
word: lady-killer
word: man-meat
word: pretty boy
word: rizzler
word: spunk
word: stud
word: stud muffin
word: superhunk
word: twink
word: angel
word: babe
word: beauty
word: belle
word: betty
word: bit of crumpet
word: bomb
word: bombshell
word: cookie
word: cupcake
word: cutie
word: dimber mort
word: doll
word: enchantress
word: femme fatale
word: fox
word: goddess
word: golden girl
word: HB
word: hottie
word: houri
word: jelly
word: knockout
word: looker
word: lovely
word: odalisque
word: peng ting
word: piece of crumpet
word: pretty
word: stoater
word: stunner
word: stunna
word: tchotchke
raw_tags: in Jewish contexts
word: ten
word: vixen
hypernyms: person
glosses: A physically attractive person, typically a woman.
glosses: A person with reddish brown hair, typically a woman.
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: A small strand of rope made by twisting several rope-yarns together. Used for seizings, mats, sennits, and gaskets.
topics: engineering
mechanical-engineering
mechanics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
glosses: A wedge driven into the split end of a bolt to tighten it.
examples: text: Locating a hidden transmitter (the fox) has been a popular ham activity for many years.
ref: 2006, H. Ward Silver, The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual:
glosses: A hidden radio transmitter, finding which is the goal of radiosport.
topics: cartomancy
human-sciences
mysticism
philosophy
sciences
glosses: The fourteenth Lenormand card.
examples: text: Thou diest on point of fox.
ref: 1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life of Henry the Fift”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iv]:
glosses: A sword; so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox.
examples: text: Got a lock! Fox, Fox!
ref: 2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: The Ark:
topics: aeronautics
aerospace
aviation
business
engineering
government
military
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
politics
war
glosses: Air-to-air weapon launched.
examples: text: Austin was patiently and painstakingly concerned with truth within limitations. He was a hedgehog, not a fox.
ref: 1970, The Month:
text: Dewey was a hedgehog rather than a fox; he spent his life trying to articulate and restate a single vision, and in the writings of his third decade he already exhibits the tension I have claimed to find in the later writings.
ref: 1992, J. E. Tiles, Jim E. Tiles, John Dewey, Psychology Press, →ISBN, page 220:
topics: human-sciences
philosophy
sciences
antonyms: hedgehog
glosses: Someone who fuses many different influences and concepts in their philosophy or worldview.
Derived terms: word: Abyssinian fox
word: Afghan fox
word: African sand fox
word: Anadyr fox
word: Andean fox
word: antifox
word: Arctic fox
word: Azara's fox
word: Baluchistan fox
word: bastard fox
word: bat-eared fox
word: Bengal fox
word: black fox
word: Blanford's fox
word: blue fox
word: brant-fox
word: California Channel Island fox
word: cama fox
word: Cape fox
word: Channel Island fox
word: Chiloe fox
word: coast fox
word: Colfax
word: corsac fox
word: crab-eating fox
word: cross fox
word: curtailed fox
word: Cypriot fox
word: Darwin's fox
word: Delalande's fox
word: desert fox
word: desert kit fox
word: dog fox
word: dog-fox
word: Ezo red fox
word: Falkland fox
word: fennec fox
word: Firefox
word: firefox
word: flying fox
word: folf
word: Fox
word: foxaline
word: fox and geese
word: fox-bat
word: fox bat
word: foxberry
word: fox bolt
word: fox caller
word: foxcore
word: fox cub
word: fox dog
word: foxery
word: foxess
word: fox evil
word: fox eye
word: foxface
word: foxfire
word: fox fire
word: fox-fire
word: foxfish
word: fox fur
word: fox-glove
word: foxglove
word: fox grape
word: fox hole
word: foxhole
word: foxhood
word: foxhound
word: foxhunt
word: fox hunt
word: fox-hunter
word: foxhunter
word: fox hunting
word: foxie
word: foxish
word: Fox Islands
word: foxless
word: foxlet
word: foxlike
word: foxling
word: foxly
word: fox maggot
word: fox mark
word: fox message
word: fox moth
word: fox plum
word: foxproof
word: Fox River
word: fox sedge
word: fox's foot
word: fox shark
word: foxship
word: foxshit
word: foxskin
word: fox sleep
word: fox's sleep
word: fox snake
word: foxsnake
word: fox sparrow
word: fox squirrel
word: fox's socks
word: Fox Street
word: foxtail
word: fox terrier
word: fox tossing
word: fox tox
word: Foxtrap
word: fox trot
word: fox-trot
word: foxtrot
word: fox wedge
word: fox whistle
word: foxy
word: gray fox
word: grey fox
word: hoary fox
word: Indian fox
word: insular gray fox
word: insular grey fox
word: island fox
word: island gray fox
word: island grey fox
word: king fox
word: kit fox
word: long-eared fox
word: maned fox
word: marble fox
word: Nile fox
word: outfox
word: pale fox
word: pallid fox
word: pampas fox
word: Patagonian fox
word: Patagonian gray fox
word: Patagonian grey fox
word: Peruvian desert fox
word: platinum fox
word: polar fox
word: Pribilof fox
word: quick as a fox
word: red fox
word: royal fox
word: Rüppell's fox
word: Rüppell's sand fox
word: Samson fox
word: sand fox
word: sea fox
word: Sechura desert fox
word: Sechura fox
word: Sechuran fox
word: she-fox
word: short-eared fox
word: short-tailed fox
word: silver-backed fox
word: silver fox
word: Simien fox
word: sly fox
word: smell fox
word: smooth fox terrier
word: snow fox
word: soft fox sedge
word: South American gray fox
word: South American grey fox
word: Spanish fox
word: steppe fox
word: stone-cold fox
word: superfox
word: swift fox
word: Teumessian fox
word: Tibetan fox
word: Tibetan sand fox
word: tree fox
word: werefox
word: white-footed fox
word: white fox
word: wire fox terrier
word: wood fox
word: as crazy as a fox
word: crazy as a fox
word: crazy like a fox
word: dumb like a fox
word: fox-drunk
word: fox guarding the henhouse
word: fox in the box
word: fox in the henhouse
word: fresh fucked fox in a forest fire
word: sly as a fox
word: smell a fox
word: the fox may grow grey but never good
word: the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Related terms: 🦊
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