Vixen Preserves an Old English Sound Change
A vixen is a female fox. The word is the only surviving example of a southern English dialect feature.
A vixen is a female fox, and figuratively a quarrelsome woman. The initial V is a fossil: southern English dialects once voiced initial F and S sounds, so *fox* became *vox* and *Somerset* was *Zomerset*. Standard English kept the F everywhere except in this one word, where the feminine form happened to survive in the southern pronunciation. *Vat* is another survivor, from an older *fat* meaning a vessel.
- A female fox. *A vixen and cubs.*
- A quarrelsome woman. *Called a vixen.*
- Fox — the male or general. *A fox.*
- Vat — another survivor. *A vat.*
- Old English — *fyxe*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | vixen | A vixen. |
| Plural | vixens | Vixens. |
| Male | dog fox | A dog fox. |
| Young | cub / kit | A fox cub. |
| Old English | fyxe | A female fox. |
- The vixen led her cubs out.Animal.
- The V comes from southern dialect.Language.
- Vat is another survivor.Parallel.
Male, female and young
- Fox / vixen — dog fox and vixen
- Cub or kit — the young
- A group is a skulk or a leash
- Vixen is the only common English animal name with this dialect V
- Vat shows the same voicing outside animal names
Old English *fyxe*, the feminine of *fox*, with the initial V from southern English dialect voicing.
Why does vixen start with V when fox starts with F?
Southern English dialects voiced initial F sounds. Standard English kept the F in fox but happened to adopt the southern form of the feminine.
Are there other words like this?
Vat is the clearest, from an older fat meaning a vessel. The pattern is otherwise almost extinct in standard English.