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Fox (fŏks)
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n. pl. Fox or Fox·es
1. A member of a Native American people formerly inhabiting various parts of southern Michigan, southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and eastern Iowa, with present-day populations in central Iowa and with the Sauk in Oklahoma.
2. The Algonquian language of the Fox.

[Translation of French Renards, foxes, perhaps translation of Fox wa·koše·haki, foxes (applied as a name to a clan with the totem of a fox).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
fox (fŏks)
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n.
1. pl. fox·es also fox
a. Any of various carnivorous mammals of the family Canidae and especially of the genus Vulpes, found worldwide and characteristically having upright ears, a pointed snout, and a long bushy tail.
b. The fur of one of these mammals.
2. A crafty, sly, or clever person.
3. Slang A sexually attractive person.
4. Nautical Small cordage made by twisting together two or more strands of tarred yarn.
5. Archaic A sword.
v. foxed, fox·ing, fox·es
v.tr.
1. To trick or fool by ingenuity or cunning; outwit.
2. To baffle or confuse.
3. To make (beer) sour by fermenting.
4. To repair (a shoe) by attaching a new upper.
5. Obsolete To intoxicate.
v.intr.
1. To act slyly or craftily.
2. To turn sour in fermenting. Used of beer.

[Middle English, from Old English.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.