fox

[foks] /fɒks/
noun, plural foxes (especially collectively) fox.
1.
any of several carnivores of the dog family, especially those of the genus Vulpes, smaller than wolves, having a pointed, slightly upturned muzzle, erect ears, and a long, bushy tail.
2.
the fur of this animal.
3.
a cunning or crafty person.
4.
(initial capital letter) a member of a tribe of North American Algonquian Indians, formerly in Wisconsin, later merged with the Sauk tribe.
5.
(initial capital letter) the Algonquian language of the Fox, Sauk, and Kickapoo Indians.
6.
Bible. a scavenger, perhaps the jackal. Psalms 63:10; Lam. 5:18.
7.
a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter F: replaced by Foxtrot.
8.
Slang. an attractive young woman or young man.
verb (used with object)
9.
to deceive or trick.
10.
to repair or make (a shoe) with leather or other material applied so as to cover or form part of the upper front.
11.
Obsolete. to intoxicate or befuddle.
verb (used without object)
12.
to act cunningly or craftily.
13.
(of book leaves, prints, etc.) to become foxed.
Origin
before 900; 1960-65 for def 9; Middle English, Old English; cognate with Old Saxon vohs, Middle Low German vos, Old High German fuhs (German Fuchs). Cf. vixen
Related forms
foxlike, adjective

Fox

[foks] /fɒks/
noun
1.
Charles James, 1749–1806, British orator and statesman.
2.
George, 1624–91, English religious leader and writer: founder of the Society of Friends.
3.
John, Foxe, John.
4.
John William, Jr. 1863–1919, U.S. novelist.
5.
Margaret, 1833–93, and her sister Katherine, (“Kate”), 1839–92, U.S. spiritualist mediums, born in Canada.
6.
Sir William, 1812–93, New Zealand statesman, born in England: prime minister 1856, 1861–62, 1869–72, 1873.
Examples from the web for fox
  • The show ran its all seasons on btv and is currently airing on fox life.
  • Nis the smooth fox terrier is a breed of dog, one of many terrier breeds.
  • The male fox terrier is tame but it will also respond to your commands.
  • All modern smooth fox terriers trace back to wires many times, from eng.
  • The king was placed under restraint and a rumour went round that fox had poisoned him.
  • When fox did make it into parliament, he seemed to make a serious political error.
  • fox could not believe that they would disgrace themselves in such a way.
  • Despite his celebrated flaws, history records fox as an amiable figure.
  • But with this act of parliament came new challenges for those who followed fox hounds.
  • In addition, it was fast enough to bay a badger or a fox and was a firstrate water dog.
British Dictionary definitions for fox

fox

/fɒks/
noun (pl) foxes, fox
1.
any canine mammal of the genus Vulpes and related genera. They are mostly predators that do not hunt in packs and typically have large pointed ears, a pointed muzzle, and a bushy tail related adjective vulpine
2.
the fur of any of these animals, usually reddish-brown or grey in colour
3.
a person who is cunning and sly
4.
(slang, mainly US) a sexually attractive woman
5.
(Bible)
  1. a jackal
  2. an image of a false prophet
6.
(nautical) small stuff made from yarns twisted together and then tarred
verb
7.
(transitive) to perplex or confound: to fox a person with a problem
8.
to cause (paper, wood, etc) to become discoloured with spots, or (of paper, etc) to become discoloured, as through mildew
9.
(transitive) to trick; deceive
10.
(intransitive) to act deceitfully or craftily
11.
(transitive) (Austral, informal) to pursue stealthily; tail
12.
(transitive) (Austral, informal) to chase and retrieve (a ball)
13.
(transitive) (obsolete) to befuddle with alcoholic drink
Derived Forms
foxlike, adjective
Word Origin
Old English; related to Old High German fuhs, Old Norse fōa fox, Sanskrit puccha tail; see vixen

Fox1

/fɒks/
noun
1.
(pl) Fox, Foxes. a member of a North American Indian people formerly living west of Lake Michigan along the Fox River
2.
the language of this people, belonging to the Algonquian family

Fox2

/fɒks/
noun
1.
Charles James. 1749–1806, British Whig statesman and orator. He opposed North over taxation of the American colonies and Pitt over British intervention against the French Revolution. He advocated parliamentary reform and the abolition of the slave trade
2.
George. 1624–91, English religious leader; founder (1647) of the Society of Friends (Quakers)
3.
Terry, full name Terrance Stanley Fox (1958–81). Canadian athlete: he lost a leg to cancer and subsequently attempted a coast-to-coast run across Canada to raise funds for cancer research
4.
Vicente (Spanish viˈθɛnte). born 1942, Mexican politician; president of Mexico (2000-06)
5.
Sir William. 1812–93, New Zealand statesman, born in England: prime minister of New Zealand (1856; 1861–62; 1869–72; 1873)
Word Origin and History for fox
n.

Old English fox, from West Germanic *fukhs (cf. Old Saxon vohs, Middle Dutch and Dutch vos, Old High German fuhs, German Fuchs, Old Norse foa, Gothic fauho), from Proto-Germanic base *fuh-, corresponding to PIE *puk- "tail" (cf. Sanskrit puccha- "tail").

The bushy tail is also the source of words for "fox" in Welsh (llwynog, from llwyn "bush"); Spanish (raposa, from rabo "tail"); and Lithuanian (uodegis "fox," from uodega "tail"). Metaphoric extension to "clever person" is early 13c. Meaning "sexually attractive woman" is from 1940s; but foxy in this sense is recorded from 1895.

v.

1560s (but perhaps implied in Old English foxung "foxlike wile, craftiness"), from fox (n.). Foxed in booksellers' catalogues means "stained with fox-colored marks." In other contexts, it typically meant "drunk" (1610s).

Fox

Algonquian people, translating French renards, which itself may be a translation of an Iroquoian term meaning "red fox people." Their name for themselves is /meškwahki:-haki/ "red earths." French renard "fox" is from Reginhard, the name of the fox in old Northern European fables (cf. Low German Reinke de Vos), originally "strong in council, wily."

Slang definitions & phrases for fox

fox

noun

A beautiful, sexually attractive woman or, in teenage use, man (1940s+ Teenagers & black)

verb

To deceive; mislead; outwit; outfox: He tried to fox me with that phony accent, and did (1631+)

[fr foxy]


fox in the Bible

(Heb. shu'al, a name derived from its digging or burrowing under ground), the Vulpes thaleb, or Syrian fox, the only species of this animal indigenous to Palestine. It burrows, is silent and solitary in its habits, is destructive to vineyards, being a plunderer of ripe grapes (Cant. 2:15). The Vulpes Niloticus, or Egyptian dog-fox, and the Vulpes vulgaris, or common fox, are also found in Palestine. The proverbial cunning of the fox is alluded to in Ezek. 13:4, and in Luke 13:32, where our Lord calls Herod "that fox." In Judg. 15:4, 5, the reference is in all probability to the jackal. The Hebrew word _shu'al_ through the Persian _schagal_ becomes our jackal (Canis aureus), so that the word may bear that signification here. The reasons for preferring the rendering "jackal" are (1) that it is more easily caught than the fox; (2) that the fox is shy and suspicious, and flies mankind, while the jackal does not; and (3) that foxes are difficult, jackals comparatively easy, to treat in the way here described. Jackals hunt in large numbers, and are still very numerous in Southern Palestine.

Idioms and Phrases with fox

fox

see: crazy like a fox