oxen

[ ok-suh n ]
/ ˈɒk sən /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR oxen ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a plural of ox.

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a granular metamorphic rock.
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Words nearby oxen

oxbow chest, oxbow front, oxbow lake, oxbridge, oxcart, oxen, oxenstierna, oxeye, oxeye daisy, oxfam, oxford

Definition for oxen (2 of 2)

ox
[ oks ]
/ ɒks /

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.

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

OTHER WORDS FROM ox

ox·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to oxen

herd, clod, dunce, imbecile, clown, klutz, yokel, sap, dolt, half-wit, bumpkin, idiot, boor, blunderer, brute, moron, nincompoop, fool, goon, beast

Example sentences from the Web for oxen

British Dictionary definitions for oxen (1 of 2)

oxen
/ (ˈɒksən) /

noun

the plural of ox

British Dictionary definitions for oxen (2 of 2)

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