boxx

n.; pl. Boxes /plu> [ As. box a small case or vessel with a cover; akin to OHG. buhsa box, G. büchse; fr. L. buxus boxwood, anything made of boxwood. See Pyx, and cf. Box a tree, Bushel. ] 1. A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various shapes. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The quantity that a box contain. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other place of public amusement. [ 1913 Webster ]

Laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage. Dorset. [ 1913 Webster ]

The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a poor box; a contribution box. [ 1913 Webster ]

Yet since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks,
Damning the poor, his tripple-bolted box. J. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A small country house. “A shooting box.” Wilson. [ 1913 Webster ]

Tight boxes neatly sashed. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Mach) (a) An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing. (b) A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works; the bucket of a lifting pump. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. The driver's seat on a carriage or coach. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or gift. “A Christmas box.” Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. (Baseball) The square in which the pitcher stands. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. (Zool.) A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Box is much used adjectively or in composition; as box lid, box maker, box circle, etc.; also with modifying substantives; as money box, letter box, bandbox, hatbox or hat box, snuff box or snuffbox. [ 1913 Webster ]

Box beam (Arch.), a beam made of metal plates so as to have the form of a long box. --
Box car (Railroads), a freight car covered with a roof and inclosed on the sides to protect its contents. --
Box chronometer, a ship's chronometer, mounted in gimbals, to preserve its proper position. --
Box coat, a thick overcoat for driving; sometimes with a heavy cape to carry off the rain. --
Box coupling, a metal collar uniting the ends of shafts or other parts in machinery. --
Box crab (Zool.), a crab of the genus Calappa, which, when at rest with the legs retracted, resembles a box. --
Box drain (Arch.), a drain constructed with upright sides, and with flat top and bottom. --
Box girder (Arch.), a box beam. --
Box groove (Metal Working), a closed groove between two rolls, formed by a collar on one roll fitting between collars on another. R. W. Raymond. --
Box metal, an alloy of copper and tin, or of zinc, lead, and antimony, for the bearings of journals, etc. --
Box plait, a plait that doubles both to the right and the left. --
Box turtle or
Box tortoise (Zool.), a land tortoise or turtle of the genera Cistudo and Emys; -- so named because it can withdraw entirely within its shell, which can be closed by hinged joints in the lower shell. Also, humorously, an exceedingly reticent person. Emerson. --
In a box, in a perplexity or an embarrassing position; in difficulty. (Colloq.) --
In the wrong box, out of one's place; out of one's element; awkwardly situated. (Colloq.) Ridley (1554) [ 1913 Webster ]