fuchs
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Proper noun:
- A surname of German origin: "Fuchs" is a German surname, most famously associated with the physicist Klaus Fuchs.
- A specific historical figure: Refers to Klaus Fuchs, a German-born British physicist who was convicted of espionage for passing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union during the 1940s.
Usage Examples
- Proper noun:
- The secrets were passed by Fuchs. (The confidential information was transmitted by Fuchs.)
- Historians study the case of Fuchs. (Historians examine the espionage case involving Fuchs.)
Advanced Usage
- "the Fuchs case": refers specifically to the espionage trial and events surrounding Klaus Fuchs.
- The Fuchs case was a major scandal of the early Cold War.
- "Fuchsian": (adjective) Pertaining to or characteristic of Klaus Fuchs or his actions. This is a derived, non-standard usage.
- His Fuchsian betrayal shocked the scientific community.
Variants and Related Words
- Fuchsia (noun): A vivid purplish-red color or a type of flowering plant. This is a homophone and not etymologically related to the surname "Fuchs."
- She painted the room in a bright fuchsia.
Synonyms
- Spy: A person who secretly collects and reports information on the activities of another country or organization.
- Atom spy: A specific term for spies who passed nuclear secrets, often used in historical context for figures like Fuchs.
Notes on Meaning
- The word "Fuchs" as a standalone term in an English context almost exclusively refers to Klaus Fuchs due to his significant historical role. Its primary meaning is not the common German word for "fox," but a proper name.
- When used generically, it is recognized as a German surname.
Noun
- British physicist who was born in Germany and fled Nazi persecution; in the 1940s he passed secret information to the USSR about the development of the atom bomb in the United States (1911-1988)