fawkes
fawkes Lexical Profile
• noun
An English surname of Anglo-Norman origin, most famously borne by Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), a key conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 against King James I and the English Parliament.
"Every November, communities across Britain commemorate the failed plot associated with the name Fawkes."
British An effigy representing Guy Fawkes, traditionally paraded through the streets and burned on a bonfire on the fifth of November.
"The children constructed a stuffed Fawkes out of old clothes and straw for the village bonfire."
• Rhymes for fawkes
Word Origin & Etymology
An English surname derived from the Anglo-Norman personal name Faukes, which stems from the Germanic root meaning 'falcon'. It became historically renowned through Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), the English conspirator arrested while guarding explosives beneath the House of Lords.