fox

Meaning

Noun

1. A red fox, small carnivore (Vulpes vulpes), related to dogs and wolves, with red or silver fur and a bushy tail.
2. Any of numerous species of small wild canids resembling the red fox. In the taxonomy they form the tribe Vulpini within the family Canidae, consisting of nine genera (see the Wikipedia article on the fox).
3. The fur of a fox.
4. A fox terrier.
5. The gemmeous dragonet, a fish, Callionymus lyra, so called from its yellow color.
6. (slang) A cunning person.
7. (slang) A physically attractive man or woman.
8. (slang) A person with reddish brown hair, usually a woman.
9. A small strand of rope made by twisting several rope-yarns together. Used for seizings, mats, sennits, and gaskets.
10. A wedge driven into the split end of a bolt to tighten it.
11. A hidden radio transmitter, finding which is the goal of radiosport.
12. The fourteenth Lenormand card.
13. (obsolete) A sword; so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox.
14. Air-to-air weapon launched.

Verb

1. To trick, fool or outwit (someone) by cunning or ingenuity.
2. To confuse or baffle (someone).
3. To act slyly or craftily.
4. To discolour paper. Fox marks are spots on paper caused by humidity. (See foxing.)
5. To make sour, as beer, by causing it to ferment.
6. To turn sour; said of beer, etc., when it sours in fermenting.
7. To intoxicate; to stupefy with drink.
8. To repair (boots) with new front upper leather, or to piece the upper fronts of.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/fɒks/

Etymology

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”), West Frisian foks (“fox”), Fering-Öömrang North Frisian foos and Sölring and Heligoland fos, 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”)).