Where does “Vixen” come from?
Vixen comes from Middle English fixen, from Old English fyxen, from Old French fixe, from Latin fixus, the past participle of figere meaning to fix or fasten, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeygʰ-.
Ancestry of “Vixen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | fixen | Obsolete form of vixen |
| 2 | Middle English | fixen | a vixen |
| 3 | Old English | fyxen | vixen |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | fuhsini | vixen, female fox |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | fuhs | fox |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | fuhsaz | fox |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | púḱsos | the tailed one |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | puḱ- | tail; press together |