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The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (foldoc)

/kwuhks/ [Mythically, from the Latin semi-deponent verb quuxo,
quuxare, quuxandum iri; noun form variously "quux" (plural
"quuces", anglicised to "quuxes") and "quuxu" (genitive plural
is "quuxuum", for four u-letters out of seven in all, using up
all the "u" letters in Scrabble).] 1. Originally, a
{metasyntactic variable} like {foo} and {foobar}. Invented by
{Guy Steele} for precisely this purpose when he was young and
naive and not yet interacting with the real computing
community. Many people invent such words; this one seems
simply to have been lucky enough to have spread a little. In
an eloquent display of poetic justice, it has returned to the
originator in the form of a nickname.

2. See {foo}; however, denotes very little disgust, and is
uttered mostly for the sake of the sound of it.

3. {Guy Steele} in his persona as "The Great Quux", which is
somewhat infamous for light verse and for the "Crunchly"
cartoons.

4. In some circles, used as a punning opposite of "crux".
"Ah, that's the quux of the matter!" implies that the point is
*not* crucial (compare {tip of the ice-cube}).

[{Jargon File}]