lox
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
noun
Etymology
Origin of lox1
First recorded in 1940–45; from Yiddish laks “salmon”; compare Middle High German, Old High German lahs, cognate with Old English leax, Old Norse lax; see gravlax ( def. )
Origin of lox2
First recorded in 1920–25; l(iquid) ox(ygen)
Explanation
Lox is brined, smoked, and very thinly sliced salmon that's often served with cream cheese on bagels. You can almost always find lox at traditional delis in large cities; it's the pink, slimy stuff next to the cold cuts. There are many different kinds of lox, all of them first cured in brine (a marinade of salted water), and most of them then lightly smoked. Bagels and lox is a speciality of most Jewish delicatessens, which is fitting since the word lox comes from the Yiddish laks, or "salmon." It shares an Indo-European root with the Scottish and Scandinavian word for lox, gravlax.
Vocabulary lists containing lox
Something's Fishy: A Fresh Catch of Aquatic Words
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More English Words Derived from Yiddish
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Essential Three-Letter Words, Part 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Order: The sesame bagel is lovely on its own—or spackled with a schmear of pastrami lox cream cheese.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026
He invoked what he loved about growing up in the city, the languages, foods, and neighborhoods, the fact that he, a Muslim, can have bagel and lox as one of his weekly rituals.
From Slate • Jan. 3, 2026
No figgy pudding or, God forbid, baked ham, but black-and-white cookies, lox and bagels, brisket, latkes, babka and kichel.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2024
Staring down at our pickles and lox, we wondered how the salty, crispy zing of these foods represented the marriage of culture and microbiology.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2024
The day they met, Rossolimo was sitting on a sofa, eating a bagel with lox and cream cheese, and he spoke to Bobby with his mouth full.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
