Box
/bɒks/noun
A rigid container, typically with flat sides and a lid, used for holding or storing things.
Did you know?English box likely comes from Latin buxis, meaning a boxwood box or the boxwood tree itself, showing how the name of a plant became the name of a container.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰewg-
“to bend, curve, or be pliant”
Classical Latin
Latin
buxus
“boxwood; a boxwood object or box made from boxwood”
Late Latin
Latin
buxida
“a box or case”
Old English
Old English
box
“a box, case, or receptacle”
Middle English
English
box
“a container or case for holding things”
Modern English
English
box
“a rigid container or receptacle”