box
Part of speech: verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: agriculture
architecture
arts
business
engineering
graphic-design
hobbies
lifestyle
media
motor-racing
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
printing
publishing
racing
sports
Etymology: Etymology tree
Ancient Greek πῠ́ξος (pŭ́xos)
Ancient Greek -ῐς (-ĭs)
Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís)bor.
Late Latin buxisbor.
Proto-West Germanic *buhsā
Old English box
Middle English box
English box
From Middle English box (“container, box, cup”), from Old English box (“box, case”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhsā (“box”) from Late Latin buxis (“box”), Latin pyxis (“small box for medicines or toiletries”), of uncertain origin; compare Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís, “box or tablet made of boxwood; box; cylinder”) and πύξος (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”). Doublet of piseog, pyx, and pyxis.
Cognate with Middle Dutch bosse, busse (“jar; tin; round box”) (modern Dutch bos (“wood, forest”), bus (“container, box; bushing of a wheel”)), Old High German buhsa (Middle High German buhse, bühse, modern German Büchse (“box; can”)), Swedish bössa (“box”).
The humorous plural form boxen is from box + -en, by analogy with oxen.
(motor racing): Used since it is more distinct over the radio compared to pit. Also from German Boxenstopp (“pit stop”).
Inflected forms:
form: boxes
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: boxing
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: boxed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: boxed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: To place inside a box; to pack in one or more boxes.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Scrapbooks that have enduring value in their original form should be individually boxed in custom-fitted boxes.
"I best get busy and box up these bones," she said, suddenly anxious to get moving. […] As she started to step around the grave washed out by last night's rainstorm, the sun caught on something caught in the mud.
gloss: Usually followed by in: to surround and enclose in a way that restricts movement; to corner, to hem in.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: A large majority of children seem to delight in emotionally boxing in their parents—setting the double-bind trap by giving the parent two choices but determining ahead of time that neither choice will be sufficient for their satisfaction.
gloss: To mix two containers of paint of similar colour to ensure that the color is identical.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: Straining eliminates lumps in the paint. If the paint has separated, stir the thick paint up from the bottom of each can to free as many lumps as possible. Then box the paint, pouring it all together through a nylon paint strainer and into the bucket. Paint less than one year old usually doesn't require straining. Older paint might have a thick skin on the top; remove the skin and set it aside. Box the paint, pouring it through a nylon paint strainer into the bucket.
gloss: To make an incision or hole in (a tree) for the purpose of procuring the sap.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: The early settlers either boxed the tree or cut large slanting gashes, from the lower end of which a rudely fashioned spout conducted the sap to a bucket. This method was very destructive to the tree, and boring was substituted for it.
gloss: To enclose with boarding, lathing, etc., so as to conceal (for example, pipes) or to bring to a required form.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: As early as the 1850s, prisons were being made "safer" by boxing in water pipes and enclosing galleries with netting to prevent jumping.
gloss: To furnish (for example, the axle of a wheel) with a box.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
examples: [T]he death of the said deceased Daniel Docherty, while in the defender's employment as an engineman, […] is alleged to have been owing to the engine house, which contained the engine of which the deceased had charge, being of a dangerous and improper construction, and the fly-wheel not having been boxed in or covered: […]
gloss: To enclose (images, text, etc.) in a box.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To place a value of a primitive type into a casing object.
pos: verb
tags: transitive
gloss: To enter the pit.
pos: verb
examples: “Okay Lewis, so box this lap, box, box”
Antonyms: unbox
uncase
unpack
Derived words: abox
autobox
autoboxing
beat-boxing
beat boxing
boxable
boxed
boxer
box-haul
boxhaul
box-hauling
box in
boxing
boxing day
boxing week
box up
misbox
rebox
unbox
Translations: