fox
fox (fäks)
- any of various small, wild canines (esp. genera Vulpes or Urocyon) with bushy tails and, commonly, reddish-brown or gray fur: the fox is conventionally thought of as sly and crafty
- the fur of a fox
- a sly, crafty, deceitful person
Etymology: concept from “The Fox and the Hedgehog,” essay by Sir Isaiah Berlin (1907–97), Brit philosopher & historian, born in Russia
a person regarded as being of a type characterized by wide-ranging knowledge and by adherence to no particular viewpoint or philosophy- ☆ Slang a person, esp. a woman, who is attractive, esp. sexually attractive
Etymology: ME < OE, akin to Ger fuchs < Gmc base *fuh- < IE base *pu-, thick-haired, bushy > Sans púccha, tail
transitive verb
- to make (beer, etc.) sour by fermenting
Etymology: from the color of a fox
to cause (book leaves, prints, etc.) to become stained with reddish-brown or yellowish discolorations- to trick or deceive by slyness or craftiness
- to bewilder or baffle
- to repair (boots, shoes, etc.) with new upper leather
- to trim (the upper of a shoe) with leather
- Obsolete to intoxicate
intransitive verb
- to become sour: said of beer, etc.
- to become stained: said of book leaves, etc.
Related Forms:
- foxed adjective
Fox (fäks)
noun
- ☆ a member of a North American Indian people formerly living in Wisconsin and Illinois, now living in Iowa
- ☆ the Algonquian language spoken by the Fox, Sauk, and Kickapoo peoples; esp., the dialect spoken by the Fox
Etymology: transl. of Fr Renard, which is transl. of Huron Skenchiohronon, lit., red-fox people (prob. with ref. to a clan or moiety; cf. the modern clan name waakosheehaki, lit., foxes)
Fox (fäks)
- Fox, Charles James 1749-1806; Eng. statesman & orator
- Fox, George 1624-91; Eng. religious leader: founder of the Society of Friends
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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