ox

[ oks ]

/ ɒks /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ox ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ox·en for 1, 2, ox·es for 3.

the adult castrated male of the genus Bos, used chiefly as a draft animal.

any member of the bovine family.

Informal. a clumsy, stupid fellow.

Nearby words

owosso, owren's disease, owse, owsen, owt, ox, ox-, ox-eye herring, ox-eyed, ox-hide, ox-tongue partisan

Origin of ox

before 900; Middle English oxe, Old English oxa; cognate with Old Frisian oxa, Old Saxon, Old High German ohso, Old Norse uxi, oxi; akin to Welsh ych

Related formsox·like, adjective

Definition for ox (2 of 3)

ox-

Chemistry.

a combining form meaning “containing oxygen”: oxazine.

Origin of ox-

short for oxygen

Definition for ox (3 of 3)

Ox.

Oxford.

Origin of Ox.

From the Medieval Latin word Oxonia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ox

There's no Nicely-Nicely Johnson hanging out in Times Square these days, no Harry the Horse, no Angie the Ox.
New York’s Greatest Show Or How They Did Not Screw Up ‘Guys and Dolls’|Ross Wetzsteon|April 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The doctors said it was as strong as an ox, considering he was so sedentary.
Gore Vidal’s Tragic Final Decade|Tim Teeman|November 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whoever's ox Obama chooses to gore will probably be a considerably less enthusiastic coalition member come 2016.
Is Demography Destiny?|Megan McArdle|November 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
During this time, he also oversaw his own farm, Ox Hollow Farm in Roxbury, Connecticut.
5 Things You Need to Know About Grass-Fed Beef|Mark Maynard|April 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST

That seems to suggest that NewsCorp's standards are different when its own ox is gored.
Hollywood's Gossip Showdown|Kim Masters|April 7, 2009|DAILY BEAST
No change, except that the order of the animals is Elephant, Camel, Ox.
The Talking Thrush|William Crooke
He usually does slaughter an ox for the dancers when the work is over.
Missionary Travels and Researches in South Africa|David Livingstone
As the lion bounded away through the assembled party, it appeared as if the ox was not a feather's weight to him.
The Mission|Frederick Marryat
Heifer meat is smaller in the bone and lighter in color than ox beef.
The Story of Crisco|Marion Harris Neil
The stones which followed were by the flames converted to pumice, and some of these were larger than an ox.
Principles of Geology|Charles Lyell

British Dictionary definitions for ox

ox

/ (ɒks) /

noun plural oxen (ˈɒksən)

an adult castrated male of any domesticated species of cattle, esp Bos taurus, used for draught work and meat

any bovine mammal, esp any of the domestic cattle

Word Origin for ox

Old English oxa; related to Old Saxon, Old High German ohso, Old Norse oxi

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ox

ox

Old English oxa "ox" (plural oxan), from Proto-Germanic *ukhson (cf. Old Norse oxi, Old Frisian oxa, Middle Dutch osse, Old Saxon, Old High German ohso, German Ochse, Gothic auhsa), from PIE *uks-en- "male animal," (cf. Welsh ych "ox," Middle Irish oss "stag," Sanskrit uksa, Avestan uxshan- "ox, bull"), said to be from root *uks- "to sprinkle," related to *ugw- "wet, moist." The animal word, then, is literally "besprinkler."

ox