different between box vs chop

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /b?ks/
• (General American) enPR: bäks, IPA^(key): /b?ks/
• Rhymes: -?ks

Etymology 1

From Middle English box (“jar (usually cylindrical); type of container; strongbox for valuables or its contents; cupping glass for bloodletting; bone socket”), from Old English box (“box-tree; box, case”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhs? (“box tree; thing made from boxwood; box”), either from Latin buxus (“box tree; thing made from boxwood”), buxum (“box tree; boxwood”) (possibly from ????? (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”)); or from Late Latin buxis (“box”), Latin pyxis (“small box for medicines or toiletries”) (from Ancient Greek ????? (puxís, “box or tablet made of boxwood; box; cylinder”), from ????? (púxos) + -?? (-is, “suffix forming feminine nouns”)).

If the latter derivation is correct, the word is cognate with Middle Dutch bosse, busse (“jar; tin; round box”) (modern Dutch bos (“wood, forest”), bus (“container, box; bushing of a wheel”)), Old High German buhsa (Middle High German buhse, bühse, modern German Büchse (“box; can”)), Swedish hjulbössa (“wheel-box”).

The humorous plural form boxen is from box + -en, by analogy with oxen.

Noun

box (plural boxes or (nonstandard, computing, humorous) boxen)

1. Senses relating to a three-dimensional object or space.
   1. A cuboid space; a cuboid container, often with a hinged lid.

      Synonyms: case, package
   2. A cuboid container and its contents; as much as fills such a container.

      Synonym: boxful
   3. A compartment (as a drawer) of an item of furniture used for storage, such as a cupboard, a shelf, etc.
   4. A compartment or receptacle for receiving items.
      1. A numbered receptacle at a newspaper office for anonymous replies to advertisements; see also box number.
   5. A compartment to sit inside in an auditorium, courtroom, theatre, or other building.

      Synonym: loge
   6. The driver's seat on a horse-drawn coach.

      Synonym: box seat
   7. A small rectangular shelter.

      Synonyms: shelter, booth
   8. Short for horsebox (“container for transporting horses”).
   9. (rail transport) Short for signal box.
   10. (figuratively) A predicament or trap.
   11. (slang) A prison cell.
       • 1951, William S. Burroughs, in Harris (ed.), Letters 1945–59, Penguin 2009, p. 98:

         While sojourning in the box I was greatly impressed by the kindness and decency of the Mexican people.

       1. (slang) A cell used for solitary confinement.

          Synonym: hole

          • 2003, Elayne Rapping, Law and Justice as Seen on TV (page 83)

            He is fearless and contemptuous, apparently able to withstand any discipline—including nights “in the box” […]

          • 2009, Megan McLemore, Barred from Treatment

            He had been in disciplinary confinement (“the box”)—punishment reserved for serious prison offenses—for 14 months.

          • 2020, Erin Hatton, Coerced: Work Under Threat of Punishment (page 89)

            […] he explained, “you can go to the box. So, I got a ticket for refusing an order and I went to the box in that situation. […]

   12. (euphemistic) A coffin.
   13. (slang) Preceded by the: television.

       Synonyms: (Britain) telly, tube, TV
   14. (slang, vulgar) The vagina.

       Synonyms: see Thesaurus:vagina
   16. (computing, slang) A computer, or the case in which it is housed.

       Synonyms: computer, machine
   18. (cricket) A hard protector for the genitals worn inside the underpants by a batsman or close fielder.

       Synonym: (US) cup
   19. (cricket) Synonym of gully (“a certain fielding position”)
   20. (engineering) A cylindrical casing around the axle of a wheel, a bearing, a gland, etc.
   21. (fencing) A device used in electric fencing to detect whether a weapon has struck an opponent, which connects to a fencer's weapon by a spool and body wire. It uses lights and sound to notify a hit, with different coloured lights for on target and off target hits.
   22. (dated) A small country house.
       • 1782, Frances Burney, Cecilia, III.vi.9:

         “I dare say the sheriff, or the mayor and corporation, or some of those sort of people, would give him money enough, for the use of it, to run him up a mighty pretty neat little box somewhere near Richmond.”
2. Senses relating to a two-dimensional object or space
   1. A rectangle: an oblong or a square.
   2. (baseball) The rectangle in which the batter stands.
   3. (genetics) One of two specific regions in a promoter.
   4. (juggling) A pattern usually performed with three balls where the movements of the balls make a boxlike shape.
   5. (lacrosse, informal) Short for box lacrosse (“indoor form of lacrosse”).
   6. (soccer) The penalty area.

Usage notes

• (computing): the humorous plural form boxen is occasionally used.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

Translations

See also

• tofu (“empty box displayed by some computer systems in place of a character not supported by available fonts”)

Verb

box (third-person singular simple present boxes, present participle boxing, simple past and past participle boxed)

1. (transitive) To place inside a box; to pack in one or more boxes.
2. (transitive) Usually followed by in: to surround and enclose in a way that restricts movement; to corner, to hem in.
3. (transitive) To mix two containers of paint of similar colour to ensure that the color is identical.
4. (transitive, agriculture) To make an incision or hole in (a tree) for the purpose of procuring the sap.
5. (transitive, architecture) To enclose with boarding, lathing, etc., so as to conceal (for example, pipes) or to bring to a required form.
6. (transitive, engineering) To furnish (for example, the axle of a wheel) with a box.
7. (transitive, graphic design, printing) To enclose (images, text, etc.) in a box.
8. (transitive, object-oriented programming) To place a value of a primitive type into a corresponding object.

Synonyms

• (to place inside a box): box up, case, embox, encase, pack, pack up, package

Antonyms

• (place inside a box): unbox, uncase, unpack

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English box (“box tree; boxwood”), from Old English box (“box tree”), from Proto-West Germanic *buhs (“box tree; thing made from boxwood”), from Latin buxus (“box tree; thing made from boxwood”), buxum (“box tree; boxwood”), possibly from ????? (púxos, “box tree; boxwood”).

Noun

box (plural boxes)

1. Any of various evergreen shrubs or trees of the genus Buxus, especially the common box, European box, or boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) which is often used for making hedges and topiary.
2. The wood from a box tree: boxwood.
3. (music, slang) A musical instrument, especially one made from boxwood.
4. (Australia) An evergreen tree of the genus Lophostemon (for example, the box scrub, Brisbane box, brush box, pink box, or Queensland box, Lophostemon confertus).
5. (Australia) Various species of Eucalyptus trees are popularly called various kinds of boxes, on the basis of the nature of their wood, bark, or appearance for example, the drooping (Eucalyptus bicolor), shiny-leaved (Eucalyptus tereticornis), black, or ironbark box trees.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English box (“a blow; a stroke with a weapon”); further origin uncertain. The following etymologies have been suggested:

• Possibly related to Proto-Germanic *boki-, whence Danish bask (“a blow; a stripe”), Danish baske (“to flap, move around, beat violently”), Middle Dutch boke (“a blow, a hit”), b?ken (“to slap, strike”) (modern Dutch beuken (“to slap”)), West Frisian bûtse, bûtsje (“to slap”), Saterland Frisian batsje (“to slap”), Low German betschen (“to slap, beat with a flat hand”), Middle High German buc (“a blow, a stroke”), bochen (“to slap, strike”).
• Possibly onomatopoeic.
• Possibly from box (“cuboid space; container”), perhaps referring to the shape of the fist.
• Possibly from Ancient Greek ??? (púx, “with clenched fist”), ????? (pugm?, “fist; boxing”).

The verb is from Middle English boxen (“to beat or whip (an animal)”), which is derived from the noun.

Noun

box (plural boxes)

1. A blow with the fist.

Synonyms

• blow
• cuff
• punch

Translations

Verb

box (third-person singular simple present boxes, present participle boxing, simple past and past participle boxed)

1. (transitive) To strike with the fists; to punch.
2. (transitive, boxing) To fight against (a person) in a boxing match.
3. (intransitive, boxing) To participate in boxing; to be a boxer.

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? French: boxer
• ? Galician: boxear
• ? German: boxen
• ? Portuguese: boxear, boxar
• ? Spanish: boxear

Translations

Etymology 4

From Latin b?x, from Ancient Greek ??? (bôx, “box (marine fish)”), from ???? (boûs, “ox”) + ?? (?ps, “eye, view”), a reference to the large size of the fish's eyes relative to its body.

Noun

box (plural boxes)

1. (dated) A Mediterranean food fish of the genus Boops, which is a variety of sea bream; a bogue or oxeye.

Translations

References

Further reading

• box on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• box (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• box at OneLook Dictionary Search

Czech

Noun

box m

1. boxing (the sport of boxing)

Declension

Related terms

• boxér
• boxérky
• boxovat

Further reading

• box in P?íru?ní slovník jazyka ?eského, 1935–1957
• box in Slovník spisovného jazyka ?eského, 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English box.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?ks/
• Hyphenation: box
• Rhymes: -?ks
• Homophone: boks

Noun

box m (plural boxen, diminutive boxje n)

1. speaker, loudspeaker

   Synonyms: luidspreker, speaker

2. playpen
3. compartment for livestock

French

Etymology

From English box. Doublet of boîte.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b?ks/

Noun

box m (plural box or boxes)

1. stall (for a horse), loose box
2. compartment, cubicle
3. garage, lock-up (for a car)

Derived terms

• box des accusés

Further reading

• “box” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Noun

box f (plural box)

1. Electronic equipment used for internet access (component of the digital subscriber line technology)

Hungarian

Noun

box

1. Misspelling of boksz.

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?xs/

Noun

box n (genitive singular box, nominative plural box)

1. box (container)

   Synonym: kassi

2. (sports) boxing

   Synonym: hnefaleikar

Declension

Derived terms

• boxa
• boxhanski
• nestisbox

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English box.

Noun

box m (invariable)

1. horsebox
2. garage, lock-up (for a car)
3. (motor racing) pit
4. playpen

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ??? (b?x).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /bo?ks/, [bo?ks?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /boks/, [b?ks]

Noun

b?x m (genitive b?cis); third declension

1. A kind of marine fish

Declension

Third-declension noun.

References

• box in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• box in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• box in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

Middle English

Alternative forms

• boxe

Etymology

From Old English box, from Proto-West Germanic *buhs?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?ks/
• Rhymes: -?ks

Noun

box (plural boxs)

1. A cylindrical jar.
2. A case, container or strongbox.

Descendants

• English: box (see there for further descendants)
• Scots: box

References

• “box, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *buhs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /boks/

Noun

box m

1. box
2. box tree

Declension

Derived terms

• boxtr?ow
• byxen
• ?ewyrtbox
• s?pbox
• sealfbox

Descendants

• Middle English: box, boxe
  • English: box (see there for further descendants)
  • Scots: box

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• boxe (prescriptive)

Etymology

Borrowed from English box.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?b?ks/

Noun

box m (Brazil) or f (Portugal) (plural boxes) (proscribed)

1. stall (for a horse)
2. electronic equipment used for internet access (component of the digital subscriber line technology)
3. (Brazil) the curtain or glass panes which separate the shower from the rest of the bathroom; shower stall
   • 2003, Eileen G. de Paiva e Mello, Questão de Tempo, Thesaurus Editora, page 150:

     A mais velha procurava arrancar a cortina do box, pendurando-se nela!

     The oldest one wanted to pull off the stall curtain by hanging to it!

Derived terms

• encostar às boxes

Romanian

Etymology 1

From French boxe.

Noun

box n (plural boxuri)

1. (sports) boxing (the sport of)
2. A kind of sword.

Synonyms

• (the sport): pugilat, pugilism, pugilistic?

Etymology 2

From French box.

Noun

box

1. bovine leather

Etymology 3

Noun

box

1. A breed of bulldog.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English box. Doublet of buje.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?bo?s/, [?bo??s]

Noun

box m (plural boxes)

1. boxing (sport)
2. (motor racing) pit
3. (sports) box

Derived terms

• calle de boxes
• parada en boxes
• parar en boxes

Further reading

• “box” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Homophone: bocks

Noun

box c

1. box, crate; a cuboid container

Declension

Derived terms

• frysbox
• kylbox
• postbox

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: ch?p, IPA^(key): /t??p/
• Hyphenation: chop
• Rhymes: -?p

Etymology 1

From Middle English choppen, chappen (“to chop”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Scots chap (“to chop”). Compare Saterland Frisian kappe, kapje (“to hack; chop; lop off”), Dutch kappen (“to chop, cut, hew”), German Low German kappen (“to cut off; clip”), German kappen (“to cut; clip”), German dialectal chapfen, kchapfen (“to chop into small pieces”), Danish kappe (“to cut, lop off, poll”), Swedish kapa (“to cut”), Albanian copë (“piece, chunk”), Old English *?ippian (in for?ippian (“to cut off”)). Perhaps related to chip.

Noun

chop (plural chops)

2. A cut of meat, often containing a section of a rib.
   • 1957, J. D. Salinger, "Zooey", in, 1961, Franny and Zooey:

     I was standing at the meat counter, waiting for some rib lamb chops to be cut.

3. A blow with an axe, cleaver, or similar utensil.

4. (martial arts) A blow delivered with the hand rigid and outstretched.

5. Ocean waves, generally caused by wind, distinguished from swell by being smaller and not lasting as long.
6. (poker) A hand where two or more players have an equal-valued hand, resulting in the chips being shared equally between them.

7. (informal, with "the") Termination, especially from employment; the sack.
8. (Australia, New Zealand) A woodchopping competition.
9. (dated) A crack or cleft; a chap.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:chop.

Synonyms

• (dismissal, especially from employment (informal)): axe, pink slip, sack

Translations

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ????

Verb

chop (third-person singular simple present chops, present participle chopping, simple past and past participle chopped)

1. (transitive) To cut into pieces with short, vigorous cutting motions.

   chop wood; chop an onion

2. (transitive) To sever with an axe or similar implement.

   Chop off his head.

3. (transitive) to give a downward cutting blow or movement, typically with the side of the hand.
4. (transitive, baseball) To hit the ball downward so that it takes a high bounce.
5. (poker) To divide the pot (or tournament prize) between two or more players. (Can we add an example for this sense?)
6. (intransitive) To make a quick, heavy stroke or a series of strokes, with or as with an ax.
7. (intransitive) To do something suddenly with an unexpected motion; to catch or attempt to seize.
8. (intransitive) To interrupt; with in or out.
   • 1550, Hugh Latimer, Sermon Preached before King Edward

     This fellow […] interrupted the sermon, even suddenly chopping in.

9. (computing, transitive, Perl) To remove the final character from (a text string).

Translations

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of chap (“cheap”). Compare Middle English copen (“to buy”), Dutch kopen (“to buy”).

Verb

chop (third-person singular simple present chops, present participle chopping, simple past and past participle chopped)

1. (obsolete) To exchange, to barter; to swap.
   • 1644, John Milton, Aeropagitica:

     this is not to put down Prelaty, this is but to chop an Episcopacy; this is but to translate the Palace Metropolitan from one kind of dominion into another, this is but an old canonicall sleight of commuting our penance.

2. To chap or crack.
3. (nautical) To vary or shift suddenly.

   The wind chops about.

4. (obsolete) To twist words.
   • 1612, Francis Bacon, Of Judicature

     Let not the counsel at the bar chop with the judge.

5. To converse, discuss, or speak with another.

Noun

chop (plural chops)

1. A turn of fortune; change; a vicissitude.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Marryat to this entry?)

Derived terms

• chop and change
• chops and changes

Etymology 3

Perhaps a variant of chap (“jaw”). Compare also Middle English cheppe (“one side of the jaw, chap”).

Noun

chop (plural chops)

1. (chiefly in the plural) A jaw of an animal.
2. A movable jaw or cheek, as of a vice.
3. The land at each side of the mouth of a river, harbour, or channel.

   East Chop; West Chop

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Hindi ??? (ch?p, “stamp”)

Noun

chop (plural chops)

2. An official stamp or seal, as in China and India.
3. A mark indicating nature, quality, or brand.

   silk of the first chop

4. A license or passport that has been sealed.
5. A complete shipment.

   a chop of tea

Derived terms

• chop dollar
• grand chop

Etymology 5

Shortening.

Noun

chop (plural chops)

1. (Internet) An IRC channel operator.
   • 1996, Peter Ludlow, High Noon on the Electronic Frontier (page 404)

     IRC supports mechanisms for the enforcement of acceptable behaviour on IRC. Channel operators — "chanops" or "chops" — have access to the /kick command, which throws a specified user out of the given channel.

Synonyms

• chanop
• op

See also

• chop chop

Nigerian Pidgin

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

chop

1. eat
2. spend

Silesian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *xolp?.

Noun

chop m

1. man, male