Fops

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /fɒps/

Definitions

1. Affected or frivolous individuals who place excessive importance on their appearance and style
2. Individuals who prioritize fashion and superficiality over substance and intellect
3. People characterized by a preoccupation with trends and a lack of depth in personality

Etymology: The plural "fops" is the form of "fop," a word for a man overly concerned with dress and manners. Its root is the same as that of "fox," which the source traces back through Old English "fox" and Proto-Germanic "fuhsaz" to a Proto-Indo-European root "*púḱsos." Across the centuries, the animal name shifted into the singular "fop," so the fox and the fop are in effect the same word, one altered by a change of sense. The source describes "fop" as an alteration of "fox," meaning the word was reshaped from the animal's name rather than borrowed from another language. The sly, cunning associations of the fox appear to have carried over into the sense of a vain, showy person, though the source does not spell out how that link was made.

Synonyms: dandies, fopsies, fashionistas, metrosexuals, grooms

Antonyms: boors, slobs, unsophisticates, vulgarian, neanderthals