Standard Lemma guide

oxen

adj · noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /ˈɑksən/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈɒksən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with (General American) -ɑksən
  • rhymes with (Received Pronunciation) -ɒksən
  • CMU ARPABET: AA1 K S AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Of, relating to, or resembling an ox; oxlike

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

plural of ox

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, plural

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age- Bible

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • so many head of cattle
  • wait till the cows come home
  • seven thin and ill-favored kine
  • a team of oxen

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cattle, cows, kine, Bos taurus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bovine

Narrower terms: ox, stirk, bullock, steer, bull, cow, moo-cow, beef, beef cattle, Welsh, Welsh Black, red poll, Africander, dairy cattle, dairy cow, milch cow, milk cow, milcher, milker, Devon, grade

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *uksḗn Proto-Germanic *uhsô Proto-West Germanic *ohsō Old English oxa Old English oxan Middle English oxen English oxen From Middle English oxen, from Old English oxan, from Proto-West Germanic *ohsan, from Proto-Germanic *uhsniz, nominative and accusative plural of *uhsô (“ox”), equivalent to ox + -en (plural ending).