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Added 9 October 2026

fox

/fɒks/ noun

Categories: AnimalsPeopleEveryday Words

In Latin: vulpēs Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fox at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs.
  2. A shifty deceptive person.
  3. The grey or reddish-brown fur of a fox.

verb

  1. Deceive somebody.
    We tricked the teacher into thinking that class would be cancelled next week
  2. Be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly.
    These questions confuse even the experts
  3. Become discolored with, or as if with, mildew spots.

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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