different between box vs pound

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

• IPA^(key): /pa?nd/
• Rhymes: -a?nd

Etymology 1

From Middle English pound, from Old English pund (“a pound, weight”), from Proto-Germanic *pund? (“pound, weight”), an early borrowing from Latin pond? (“by weight”), ablative form of pondus (“weight”), from Proto-Indo-European *pend-, *spend- (“to pull, stretch”). Cognate with Dutch pond, German Pfund, Swedish pund. Doublet of pood.

Noun

pound (plural pounds) (sometimes pound after numerals)

1. A unit of mass equal to 16 avoirdupois ounces (= 453.592 37 g). Today this value is the most common meaning of "pound" as a unit of weight.

   Synonym: lb

2. A unit of mass equal to 12 troy ounces (? 373.242 g). Today, this is a common unit of weight when measuring precious metals, and is little used elsewhere.

   Synonym: lb t

3. (US) The symbol # (octothorpe, hash)

   Synonyms: hash, sharp

4. The unit of currency used in the United Kingdom and its dependencies. It is divided into 100 pence.

   Synonyms: £, pound sterling, GBP, quid, nicker

5. Any of various units of currency used in Egypt and Lebanon, and formerly in the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus and Israel.

   Synonym: punt

6. Any of various units of currency formerly used in the United States.
7. Abbreviation for pound-force, a unit of force/weight. Using this abbreviation to describe pound-force is inaccurate and unscientific.

Usage notes

• Internationally, the "pound" has most commonly referred to the UK pound, £, (pound sterling). The other currencies were usually distinguished in some way, e.g., the "Irish pound" or the "punt".
• In the vicinity of each other country calling its currency the pound among English speakers the local currency would be the "pound", with all others distinguished, e.g., the "British pound", the "Egyptian pound" etc.
• The general plural of "pound" has usually been "pounds" (at least since Chaucer), but the continuing use of the Old English genitive or neuter "pound" as the plural after numerals (for both currency and weight) is common in some regions. It can be considered correct, or colloquial, depending on region.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• Pound (the unit of mass) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Pound (the UK unit of currency) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• crown, farthing, florin, guinea, penny, pence, shilling, sovereign, sterling

Etymology 2

From Middle English pounde, ponde, pund, from Old English pund (“an enclosure”), related to Old English pyndan (“to enclose, shut up, dam, impound”). Compare also Old English pynd (“a cistern, lake”).

Noun

pound (plural pounds)

1. A place for the detention of stray or wandering animals.

   Synonym: animal shelter
2. (metonymically) The people who work for the pound.
3. (Britain) A place for the detention of automobiles that have been illegally parked, abandoned, etc. Short form of impound.

   Synonyms: (UK) car pound, (US) impound lot, (US) impound
4. A section of a canal between two adjacent locks.

   Synonym: reach

5. A kind of fishing net, having a large enclosure with a narrow entrance into which fish are directed by wings spreading outward.
6. (Newfoundland) a division inside a fishing stage where cod is cured in salt brine

   Synonym: bulk

Usage notes

• Manx English uses this word uncountably.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

pound (third-person singular simple present pounds, present participle pounding, simple past and past participle pounded)

1. To confine in, or as in, a pound; to impound.
   • c. 1620, anonymous, “Tom o’ Bedlam’s Song” in Giles Earle his Booke (British Museum, Additional MSS. 24, 665):

     When I short haue shorne my sowce face
     & swigg’d my horny barrell,
     In an oaken Inne I pound my skin
     as a suite of guilt apparrell

Etymology 3

From an alteration of earlier poun, pown, from Middle English pounen, from Old English p?nian (“to pound, beat, bray, bruise, crush”), from Proto-Germanic *p?n?n? (“to break to pieces, pulverise”). Related to Saterland Frisian Pün (“debris, fragments”), Dutch puin (“debris, fragments, rubbish”), Low German pun (“fragments”). Perhaps influenced by Etymology 2 Middle English *pound, pond, from Old English *pund, pynd, in relation to the hollow mortar for pounding with the pestle.

Alternative forms

• poun, pown (obsolete or dialectal)

Verb

pound (third-person singular simple present pounds, present participle pounding, simple past and past participle pounded)

1. (transitive) To strike hard, usually repeatedly.

   Synonyms: hammer, pelt; see also Thesaurus:hit
2. (transitive) To crush to pieces; to pulverize.

   Synonyms: pulverate, triturate
3. (transitive, slang) To eat or drink very quickly.

   Synonyms: bolt, down, chug; see also Thesaurus:eat, Thesaurus:drink
4. (transitive, baseball, slang) To pitch consistently to a certain location.

5. (intransitive, of a body part, generally heart, blood, or head) To beat strongly or throb.
6. (transitive, vulgar, slang) To penetrate sexually, with vigour.

   Synonyms: drill, get up in, nail, poke; see also Thesaurus:copulate with
7. To advance heavily with measured steps.
8. (engineering) To make a jarring noise, as when running.

9. (slang, dated) To wager a pound on.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• bang

Noun

pound (plural pounds)

1. A hard blow.

   Synonym: pounding

Translations

Middle English

Alternative forms

• pounde, pund, punde, powund

Etymology

From Old English pund, in turn from Proto-Germanic *pund?, from Latin pond?.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pu?nd/, /pund/

Noun

pound (plural poundes or pounden or pound)

1. A measurement for weight, most notably the Tower pound, merchant's pound or pound avoirdupois, or a weight of said measurement.
2. A pound or other silver coin (including ancient coins), weighing one Tower pound of silver.
3. Money or coinage in general, especially a great amount of it.

Descendants

• English: pound
• Scots: pund, poond

References

• “p?und(e, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-02-22.