moxie

English

Etymology

From the name of an American patent medicine first manufactured about 1885.

Pronunciation

• enPR: mŏk'sē, IPA: /ˈmɒksi/, X-SAMPA: /mQksi/
• Rhymes: -ɒksi

Noun

moxie (uncountable)

1. backbone, determination and fortitude
2. initiative or skill
   • 1971, John Updike, Rabbit Redux, page 401:

     As a girl she had speed and a knock-kneed moxie at athletics, and might have done more with it if she hadn't harvested all the glory already.

   • 2011 January 29, Dan Povenmire as Building Engineer, “Rollercoaster: The Musical!”, Phineas and Ferb season 2 episode 38, “Aren't You a Little Young?” (song):

     Yes it's true! / That you seem a little young to do the things that you do, / even with all that moxie you've got.

Anagrams

• oxime

Translations

Translations

• Dutch: vastberadenheid (nl), doortastenheid (nl)

• French: tripes (fr) f pl