# fox

> English word · Noun · IPA /fɒks/ · frequency rank #2,204

## Definitions
1. A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
2. A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
3. A small-to-medium-sized canine mammal, related to dogs and wolves, with a flattened skull, upright triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail, of the following groups:
4. The fur of a fox.
5. A fox terrier.
6. A flying fox.
7. The gemmeous dragonet, a fish, Callionymus lyra, so called from its yellow color.
8. A cunning person.
9. A physically attractive person, typically a woman.
10. A person with reddish brown hair, typically a woman.
11. A small strand of rope made by twisting several rope-yarns together. Used for seizings, mats, sennits, and gaskets.
12. A wedge driven into the split end of a bolt to tighten it.
13. A hidden radio transmitter, finding which is the goal of radiosport.
14. The fourteenth Lenormand card.
15. A sword; so called from the stamp of a fox on the blade, or perhaps of a wolf taken for a fox.
16. Air-to-air weapon launched.
17. Someone who fuses many different influences and concepts in their philosophy or worldview.

## Etymology
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”).
Cognate with Scots fox (“fox”), North Frisian foos, fos (“fox”), Saterland Frisian Foaks (“fox”), West Frisian foks (“fox”), 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”)).
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'.

## Easily confused with
- **fu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fu)
- **FS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fs)
- **FP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fp)
- **FW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fw)
- **fy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fy)
- **fun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fun)
- **fur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fur)
- **fry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fry)
- **FYI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fyi)
- **fro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fro)
- **FTC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-ftc)
- **FSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fsa)
- **fra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fra)
- **FTP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-ftp)
- **FTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fta)
- **FSB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fsb)
- **FTW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-ftw)
- **foy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-foy)
- **FTL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-ftl)
- **FTE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/fox-vs-fte)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/fox