ox

¹

[oks]

noun

plural

oxen, oxes 

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

2. any member of the bovine family.

3. Informal.,  a clumsy, stupid fellow.

ox-

²

Chemistry.

1. a combining form meaning “containing oxygen”.

   oxazine.

Ox.

³

abbreviation

1. Oxford.

ox

/ ɒks /

noun

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

2. any bovine mammal, esp any of the domestic cattle

Other Word Forms

• oxlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ox¹

First recorded 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

Origin of ox²

Short for oxygen

Origin of ox³

From the Medieval Latin word Oxonia

Word History and Origins

Origin of ox¹

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

Example Sentences

There has been some success with the Australian government's crown-of-thorns starfish culling programme, which has killed over 50,000 starfish by injecting them with vinegar or ox bile.

From BBC

They had an open front space where items of food were laid out, in this example loaves of bread, a lettuce and an ox's head.

From BBC

Therefore, the official order for the zodiac animals is as follows: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

From Salon

"They say he's strong as an ox, leaps tall buildings in a single bound, we don't have that kind of warped reality on our side."

From Salon

“They say he’s strong as an ox, leaps tall buildings in a single bound. We don’t have that kind of warped reality on our side.”

From Salon

Related Words

• burly 
• hulking 
• sturdy 

When To Use

Plural word for ox

The plural form of ox is oxen. This is one of the few remaining irregular nouns whose plural  derives directly from its original pluralization in Old English. A similar change is made when pluralizing woman (women), man (men), and child (children). In some rare instances, ox is pluralized in the more conventional fashion as oxes, but this form is often considered incorrect and should be avoided.