black fox
- noun
- /blæk fɑks/
:
zorro negro
- The wildlife documentary featured a stunning black fox roaming freely in the snowy landscape.
Examples
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While hiking, I spotted a rare black fox darting through the underbrush.
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The black fox is known for its striking fur color and elusive behavior in the wild.
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Oh, dear, the black fox.
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Oh, the black fox!
Synonyms
A red fox with dark fur and white tips kept for its fur
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a fox that is black in color' is directly and transparently derived from the adjective 'black' modifying the noun 'fox' — a simple adjective+noun description. This compositional pattern (color + animal) is highly productive and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
Black fox names a fox with mostly black fur. Picture a rare dark animal slipping through the trees at night whose shiny fur was prized by hunters. So, it means 'a color variant of the red fox'.
