Join free

Fox

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

fox¹

  • /fɒks/ UK
  • /fɔks/ Australia, British, Scotland, Southern, Standard
  • /fɑks/ US
  • /fɒks/ New Zealand
  • [fɔ̟ks] New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɒks

Where it comes from

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”).

Cognates

Cognate with Yola vox, voxe (“fox”), North Frisian foos (“fox”), Saterland Frisian Foaks (“fox”), West Frisian foks (“fox”), Alemannic German Fuchs, Fugs, fuksch, fuks, fòcks, vucks (“fox”), Bavarian Fuchs, vucs, vuks (“fox”), Central Franconian Fuss (“fox”), Cimbrian buks, vuks (“fox”), Dutch vos (“fox”), German Fuchs (“fox”), Low German Voss (“fox”), Luxembourgish Fuuss (“fox”), Vilamovian füks (“fox”), Yiddish פֿוקס (fuks, “fox”), Norn fúa (“she-fox”), Gothic 𐍆𐌰𐌿𐌷𐍉 (fauhō, “fox”); also Bulgarian, Russian, and Ukrainian пух (pux, “down, fluff”), Polish puch (“down, fluff; snow”), Sanskrit पुच्छ (púccha, “tail; hind-part”) (whence Bengali পুচ্ছ (puccho, “tail”), Hindi पूँछ (pū̃ch), पूंछ (pūñch, “tail; rear of an object”), Pali puccha (“tail”), Punjabi ਪੂਛ (pūch, “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'.

noun foxes · foxen · foxe

  1. countable, uncountable Any member of the genus Vulpes; a true fox. A group of foxes is called a skulk.
  2. countable, uncountable The red fox, a small carnivore (Vulpes vulpes) with red or silver fur. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
  3. countable, uncountable Other canines that resemble true foxes, of the genera Cerdocyon, Lycalopex, Otocyon, and Urocyon.
  4. uncountable The fur of a fox.
  5. countable, uncountable A fox terrier.
  6. Australia, countable, uncountable A flying fox. Their screeches heralded excited talk from the hurrying troops, for flying fox is a delicacy. The densely-foliaged trees hedged a sombre pool, deep and quiet. As the slain foxes dropped into the water the snouts of river crocodiles popped up and devoured them.
  7. countable, uncountable The gemmeous dragonet, a fish, Callionymus lyra, so called from its yellow color.
  8. countable, figuratively, uncountable A cunning person. 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.
  9. countable, figuratively, slang, uncountable A physically attractive person, typically a woman. 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.
  10. countable, figuratively, slang, uncountable A person with reddish brown hair, typically a woman.
  11. countable, uncountable A small strand of rope made by twisting several rope-yarns together. Used for seizings, mats, sennits, and gaskets.
  12. countable, uncountable A wedge driven into the split end of a bolt to tighten it.
  13. countable, uncountable A hidden radio transmitter, finding which is the goal of radiosport. Locating a hidden transmitter (the fox) has been a popular ham activity for many years.
  14. countable, uncountable The fourteenth Lenormand card.
  15. countable, obsolete, uncountable A sword; so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox. Thou diest on point of fox.
  16. countable, uncountable Air-to-air weapon launched. Got a lock! Fox, Fox!
  17. countable, uncountable Someone who fuses many different influences and concepts in their philosophy or worldview. Austin was patiently and painstakingly concerned with truth within limitations. He was a hedgehog, not a fox.

verb foxes · foxing · foxed · foxe

  1. transitive To trick, fool or outwit (someone) by cunning or ingenuity. I see a number of gallants every where, whoſe incomes come in yearely by ſet numbers, but runne out daily, ſans number. […] And when I ſee them often foxed, me thinke the Proverbe ſutes thoſe ſutes, what is the fox but his caſe? I ſhould thinke them to be Eutrapelus his enemies, whom he cloathed ric
  2. To sham, to dissemble. He was not foxing. No, no: he was sick really.
  3. transitive To confuse or baffle (someone). This crossword puzzle has completely foxed me.
  4. intransitive To act slyly or craftily.
  5. dated, transitive To cheat or rob. Have you any news of Miriam? As I have had no reply to my delicately worded epistle, I can only presume that you foxed me with the wrong address, and that you are yourself already engaged to be married to her.
  6. intransitive To discolour paper. Fox marks are spots on paper caused by humidity. (See foxing.) The pages of the book show distinct foxing.
  7. transitive To make sour, as beer, by causing it to ferment.
  8. intransitive To turn sour; said of beer, etc., when it sours in fermenting.
  9. transitive To intoxicate; to stupefy with drink. I drank […] so much wine that I was almost foxed.
  10. transitive To repair (boots) with new front upper leather, or to piece the upper fronts of.

Fox²

Where it comes from

* (surname): From fox (“a vulpine animal”)

noun

  1. A radiotelephony clear-code word for the letter F.

proper noun Foxes · Foxs

  1. countable, uncountable A surname transferred from the common noun derived from the name of the animal.
  2. countable, uncountable A male given name.
  3. US, uncountable Fox Broadcasting Company, a large television network in the United States. I watched a great show on Fox last night.
  4. countable, uncountable A census-designated place in Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska.
  5. countable, uncountable A river in Wisconsin and Illinois, United States, a tributary to the Illinois River.
  6. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Stone County, Arkansas.
  7. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Grant County, Indiana.
  8. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Estill County, Kentucky.
  9. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Roseau County, Minnesota.
  10. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Carbon County, Montana.
  11. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Pickaway County, Ohio.
  12. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Carter County, Oklahoma.
  13. countable, uncountable An unincorporated community in Grant County, Oregon.
  14. countable, uncountable A number of townships in the United States, listed under Fox Township.
  15. countable, uncountable A locality in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, Australia.
  16. abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of Fox Tribe.Fox Tribe
  17. abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, uncountable Ellipsis of Fox language.Fox language

noun Foxes

  1. Someone connected with Leicester City Football Club, as a fan, player, coach etc. The Foxes played with plenty of initiative in the original tie at the Walkers Stadium and they started this tie in impressively positive fashion, producing the game's first two chances: Andy King's goal-bound half-volley from Steve Howard's header down was tipped over by Joe Hart and Sol Bamba heade
  2. abbreviation, dated, ellipsis Ellipsis of Fox Indian (“a member of the Outagamie or Meskwaki, a Native American people”).Fox Indian

FOX³

noun

  1. abbreviation, acronym, uncountable Acronym of forkhead box protein.forkhead box protein

Talk about this word