Where does “vixen” come from?
Vixen comes from Middle English vixen, from Old English fyxen, from Old French fixe, from Latin fixus, the past participle of figere meaning "to fasten or drive in," from Proto-Indo-European dʰeygʷ-.
vixen (English): A female fox; A malicious, quarrelsome or...
Definitions
- A female fox; A malicious, quarrelsome or...
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 |
Words derived from “vixen”