sb. Obs. Forms: α. 1 feax, north. fæx, 1–2 fex, 3–6 fax, (5 faxe, 6 facts, 7 faix, ? 6 pl. fassis). β. 3 væx, vax(e. [OE. feax = OFris. fax, OS. and OHG. fahs (MHG. vahs), ON. (and mod.Norw.) fax. The word occurs in the proper names Fairfax, Halifax.]

1

  1.  The hair of the head.

2

Beowulf, 2967. Swat ædrum sprang forð under fexe.

3

c. 900.  trans. Bæda’s Hist., II. xvi. He … hæfde blæc feax.

4

c. 1000.  Sax. Leechd., I. 110. Wiþ þæt ðæet mannes fex fealle.

5

c. 1205.  Lay., 24843. [Heo] luken heom bi uaxe [c. 1275 þan heere] and laiden heom to grunde.

6

a. 1300.  Cursor M., 7244 (Cott.). Thoru his fax his force was tint.

7

c. 1375.  Sc. Leg. Saints, Martha, 7. Scho was far of fax and face.

8

c. 1440.  Bone Flor., 1545.

        Then they lowsyd hur feyre faxe,
That was yelowe as the waxe.

9

1513.  Douglas, Æneis, II. vi. 51.

        His fax and berd was fadit quhar he stuide,
And all his hair was glitnit full of bluide.

10

1548.  Hall, Chron., 10 b. Ye fassis of their head set ful of new devised facuns.

11

1560.  Rolland, The Court of Venus, I. 915.

        [Cam] to Venus in hir best apparrall,
With countinance and facts virginall.

12

1606.  Holland, Sueton., Annot. 30 a. Whose lokes and faix were so slicke and glib with sweet oyles, that they shone againe. [Ibid. (1610), Camden’s Brit., I. 723. Fax in the old English tongue signifieth the haire of the head.]

13

  2.  derisively. The face.

14

  [Perhaps a misunderstanding of the obsolete word as preserved in poetic phrases; some other Sc. examples in 16th c. would admit of a similar interpretation.]

15

1513.  Douglas, Æneis, VIII. Prol. 32. The fillok hir deformit fax wald haue a fair face.

16