Box

n. [A.-S. box, a small case or vessel with a cover, O. H. Ger. buhsa, puhsa, M. H. Ger. büchse, N. H. Ger. büchse, box, from L. Lat. buxis, Lat. pyxis, pyxis, Gr. πυξίς, a box, esp. of box-wood, Lat. buxus, Gr. πύξος, the box-tree or box-wood.]

1Sense 1. A case or receptacle of any size, or made of any material.

2Sense 2. The quantity that a box contains.

3Sense 3. An inclosed space with seats in a theater, or other place of public amusement.

Thy plays Are laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage. Dorset.

4Sense 4. A money-chest.

Yet, since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks, Damning the poor, his triple-bolted box. Warton.

5Sense 5. A small house. “A shooting box.” Wilson. “Tight boxes neatly sashed.” Cowper.

6Sense 6. (Mach.) (a.) A cylindrical, hollow iron, used in wheels, in which the axle revolves. [See JOURNAL-BOX.] (b.) A hollow tube in a pump, closed with a valve; the bucket of a lifting pump.

7Sense 7. The driver's seat on a carriage.

8Sense 8. A present. “A Christmas box.” Dickens.

Box-coat, a heavy overcoat, originally worn by coachmen. — Box-drain, an underground drain, having a rectangular section. — In a box, in a perplexity or embarrassing position; in difficulty.

n. [A-S. box, Lat. buxus, Gr. πύξος.] A tree or shrub flourishing in different parts of the globe. The common box (Buxus sempervirens) has two varieties, one of which, the dwarf box (suffruticosa), is much used for borders in gardens. The wood of the tree varieties, being very hard and smooth, is extensively used in the arts, as by turners, engravers, mathematical instrument makers, &c.

n. [Cf. Gr. πύξ, with clinched fist.] A blow on the head or ear with the hand. “A good-humored box on the ear.” Irving.

v. i. To fight with the fist; to combat with the hand or fist.

v. t. [imp. & p. p. BOXED (bŏkst); p. pr. & vb. n. BOXING.] 1. To inclose in a box. 2. To furnish with boxes, as a wheel. 3. To strike with the hand or fist, especially to strike the ear or side of the head. 4. [Sp. boxar.] To sail round. To box a tree, to make an incision or hole in a tree for the purpose of procuring the sap.—To box off, to divide into tight compartments. (Naut.) To turn the head of a vessel either way by bracing the headyards aback.—To box the compass, to name the points of the compass in their order.