vulpine

vulpine

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vulpīnus (“foxy, fox-like”), from vulpēs, earlier volpēs (“fox”), from Proto-Indo-European *wl(o)p- (“fox”). Cognate with Welsh llywarn (“fox”), Ancient Greek ἀλώπηξ (alṓpēx), Armenian աղուէս (ałuēs), Albanian dhelpër, Lithuanian vilpišỹs (“wildcat”), Sanskrit लोपाश (lopāśa, “jackal, fox”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvʌlpaɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌlpaɪn

Adjective

vulpine (comparative more vulpine, superlative most vulpine)

1. Pertaining to a fox.
   • 1910, Saki [pseudonym; Hector Hugh Munro], “The Bag”, in Reginald in Russia and Other Sketches, London: Methuen & Co. […], OCLC 1263167, page 80:

     She dared not raise her eyes above the level of the tea-table, and she almost expected to see a spot of accusing vulpine blood drip down and stain the whiteness of the cloth.

2. Having the characteristics of a fox; foxlike; cunning.

Translations

pertaining to a fox

Arabic: ثَعْلَبِيّ‎ (ṯaʿlabiyy) Belarusian: лісі́ны (lisíny) Bulgarian: лиси́чи (bg) (lisíči) Chinese: Mandarin: 狐狸的 (zh) (húli de) Czech: liščí (cs) Dutch: vossen- (nl) Esperanto: vulpa French: vulpin (fr) Georgian: (please verify) მელიასებური (meliaseburi) German: Fuchs- (de) Greek: αλεπουδίσιος (el) (alepoudísios) Hungarian: please add this translation if you can Japanese: キツネの (ja) (kitsune no) Korean: 여우의 (ko) (yeou-ui) Latin: vulpīnus Macedonian: лисичји (lisičji) Polish: lisi (pl) Portuguese: vulpino (pt) Romanian: please add this translation if you can Russian: ли́сий (ru) (lísij), лиси́ный (ru) (lisínyj), лиси́чий (ru) (lisíčij) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: лѝсичјӣ Roman: lìsičjī (sh) Slovak: líščí Slovene: lisičji Ukrainian: ли́сячий (lýsjačyj), лиси́чий (lysýčyj)

foxlike

Bulgarian: лиси́чи (bg) (lisíči) Dutch: vosachtig Esperanto: vulpa French: vulpin (fr) Georgian: (please verify) მელიასებური (meliaseburi) Latin: vulpinus Russian: ли́сий (ru) (lísij)

Noun

vulpine (plural vulpines)

1. Any of certain canids called foxes (including the true foxes, the arctic fox and the grey fox); distinguished from the canines, which are regarded as similar to the dog and wolf.
   • 1980, Michael Wilson Fox, The Soul of the Wolf, unnumbered page,

     The family Canidae consists of two main subgroups, the vulpines (foxes) and the canines (wolves, coyotes, jackals, and dogs), and some intermediate “fox-dog” forms from South America.

2. A person considered vulpine (cunning); a fox.

See also

• canine
• lupine
• Vulpini (tribe within subfamily Caninae)

Anagrams

• liven up

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French

Adjective

vulpine

1. feminine singular of vulpin

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Latin

Adjective

vulpīne

1. vocative masculine singular of vulpīnus