Middle English Dictionary Entry
fixen n.
Entry Info
| Forms | fixen n. |
| Etymology | OE *fyxen, corresp. to OHG fuhsin (formed as OE wylfen on wulf); or OE adj. fyxen 'of the fox', as in the phrase fixen hȳd fox skin (cp. ME foxen fox under foxen). |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
A female (fox), she-fox; fixen of the fox.
Associated quotations
- ?a1200(OE) Hrl.MQuad.(Hrl 6258B)10/24 : Ȝif se inra dæl þæs sceos byð fixen hyd.
- (c1410) York MGame (Vsp B.12)36 : The ffixen of the fox is a saute ones in þe yeere..with grete payn men take þe fox, namely þe fixen whan she is with welpes.