box

box · noun, verb¹

1. Ancient Greekπῠ́ξος (pŭ́xos)
2. Ancient Greekπυξίς (puxís)
3. Late Latinbuxis
4. Proto-West Germanic*buhsā
5. Old Englishbox
6. Middle Englishbox
7. English todaybox

From Middle English box (“container, box, cup”), from Old English box (“box, case”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhsā (“box”) from Late Latin buxis (“box”), Latin pyxis (“small box for medicines or toiletries”), of uncertain origin; compare Ancient Greek πυξίς (puxís, “box or tablet made of boxwood; box; cylinder”) and πύξος (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”). Doublet of piseog, pyx, and pyxis. Cognate with Middle Dutch bosse, busse (“jar; tin; round box”) (modern Dutch bos (“wood, forest”), bus (“container, box; bushing of a wheel”)), Old High German buhsa (Middle High German buhse, bühse, modern German Büchse (“box; can”)), Swedish bössa (“box”). The humorous plural form boxen is from box + -en, by analogy with oxen. (motor racing): Used since it is more distinct over the radio compared to pit. Also from German Boxenstopp (“pit stop”).

box · noun²

1. Latinbuxus
2. Proto-West Germanic*buhs
3. Old Englishbox
4. Middle Englishbox
5. English todaybox

From Middle English box (“box tree; boxwood”), from Old English box (“box tree”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhs (“box tree; thing made from boxwood”), from Latin buxus (“box tree; thing made from boxwood”), buxum (“box tree; boxwood”), possibly from πύξος (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”).

box · noun, verb³

1. Middle English · inherited fromboxen“to beat or whip (an animal)”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*boki-
3. Middle English · inherited frombox“a blow; a stroke with a weapon”
4. English todaybox

From Middle English box (“a blow; a stroke with a weapon”); further origin uncertain, with relation to Proto-Germanic *boki-, whence Danish bask (“a blow; a stripe”), Danish baske (“to flap, move around, beat violently”), Middle Dutch boke (“a blow, a hit”), bōken (“to slap, strike”) (modern Dutch beuken (“to slap”)), West Frisian bûkje, bûtse, bûtsje (“to slap”), West Frisian and Saterland Frisian batsje (“to slap”), Low German betschen (“to slap, beat with a flat hand”), Middle High German buc (“a blow, a stroke”), bochen (“to slap, strike”), and further onomatopoeic shaping. The verb is from Middle English boxen (“to beat or whip (an animal)”), which is derived from the noun.

box · noun⁴

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromβῶξ“box (marine fish)”
2. Latin · derived frombōx
3. English todaybox

From Latin bōx, from Ancient Greek βῶξ (bôx, “box (marine fish)”), from βοῦς (boûs, “ox”) + ὤψ (ṓps, “eye, view”), a reference to the large size of the fish's eyes relative to its body.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 20th c. A stringed instrument with a soundbox, especially a guitar.