noun
Meaning 1
An evil spell or curse.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: jinx, malediction
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
hex
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈhɛks/
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[ˈhɛks]
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɛks
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CMU ARPABET: HH EH1 K S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A witch.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: enchantress, sorceress, wizardess
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: spellcaster, thaumaturge, archmage, archmagician, bewitcher, charmer, conjurer, illusionist, Karcist, mage, magic user, magus, obeah, shaman, sortileger, spellbinder, spellmaker, theurgist, whizz, whiz, witch doctor, wiz, wonderworker
noun
Meaning 3
A spell (now rare but still found in compounds such as hex sign and hexcraft).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: enchantment, incantation, spell, cantrip, chantment, charm, craft, dwimmer, hex, magic, magic spell, makutu, mojo, obeah, pishogue, rune, spellword, wanga
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
Clipping of hexadecimal.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, informal, uncountable
Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A hexagonal space on a game board.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
a hexagon-shaped item of rock climbing equipment intended to be wedged into a crack or other opening in the rock.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: climbing, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
Clipping of uranium hexafluoride.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, clipping
Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To cast a spell on (specifically an evil spell), to bewitch.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bespell, jinx, spellbind, bechat, becry, beglammer, bewitch, conjure, enchant, englamour, ensorcell, enspell, forspeak, glamour, hex, maleficiate, mojo, spell, spellcast, witch
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 9
of or pertaining to a number system having 16 as its base
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hexadecimal
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
an evil spell
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a witch put a curse on his whole family
- he put the whammy on me
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: jinx, curse, whammy
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: spell, magic spell, magical spell, charm
verb
Meaning 11
cast a spell over someone or something; put a hex on someone or something
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bewitch, glamour, witch, enchant, jinx
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: charm, becharm
Narrower terms: voodoo, spell
History
Etymology
First attested about 1830, from Pennsylvania German hexe (“to practice witchcraft”), from German hexen (compare Hexe (“witch”)). The noun appeared later, in the 1850s. Cognate to Norwegian Bokmål heks (“witch”) and Dutch heks (“witch”), Dutch beheksen (“to bewitch”), Old English hægtesse (“witch, hag”). Doublet of hag.
Short for hexadecimal.
Short for hexagon.
Short for hexafluoride.
Across languages
Translations
85 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: магия (magija) — an evil spell or curse
- Czech: kletba — an evil spell or curse
- Danish: forbandelse — an evil spell or curse
- Dutch: vloek — an evil spell or curse
- Dutch: betovering — an evil spell or curse
- Dutch: beheksing — an evil spell or curse
- Finnish: taika — an evil spell or curse
- Finnish: loitsu — an evil spell or curse
- Finnish: kirous — an evil spell or curse
- French: sortilège — an evil spell or curse
- French: sort — an evil spell or curse
- German: Fluch — an evil spell or curse
- German: Verhexung — an evil spell or curse
- Ancient Greek: ἀρά (ará) — an evil spell or curse
- Ancient Greek: κατάρα (katára) — an evil spell or curse
- Hungarian: rontás — an evil spell or curse
- Italian: sortilegio — an evil spell or curse
- Latin: exsēcrātiō — an evil spell or curse
- Latin: imprecātiō — an evil spell or curse
- Persian: جادو (jâdu) — an evil spell or curse
- Polish: urok — an evil spell or curse
- Polish: klątwa — an evil spell or curse
- Polish: przekleństwo — an evil spell or curse
- Romanian: blestem — an evil spell or curse
- Russian: чары (čary) — an evil spell or curse
- Russian: магия (magija) — an evil spell or curse
- Russian: проклятие (prokljatije) — an evil spell or curse
- Spanish: maleficio — an evil spell or curse
- Tocharian B: śāp — an evil spell or curse
- Turkish: büyü — an evil spell or curse
- Turkish: kargış — an evil spell or curse
- Ottoman Turkish: قارش (karış) — an evil spell or curse
- Arabic: ساحِرة (sāḥira) — a witch
- Arabic: مُشَعْوِذة (mušaʕwiḏa) — a witch
- Bulgarian: вещица (veštica) — a witch
- Danish: heks — a witch
- Dutch: heks — a witch
- Finnish: noita — a witch
- French: sorcière — a witch
- Galician: bruxa — a witch
- Galician: meiga — a witch
- German: Hexe — a witch
- Italian: strega — a witch
- Latin: veneficus — a witch
- Latin: venefica — a witch
- Norwegian: heks — a witch
- Polish: wiedźma — a witch
- Russian: ведьма (vedʹma) — a witch
- Spanish: bruja — a witch
- Swedish: häxa — a witch
- Turkish: büyücü — a witch
- German: Spruch — rare: a spell
- German: Hexspruch — rare: a spell
- Polish: zaklęcie — rare: a spell
- Russian: заклятие (zakljatije) — rare: a spell
- Spanish: sortilegio — rare: a spell
- Finnish: heksa — short for hexadecimal
- Greek: δεκαεξαδικό (dekaexadikó) — short for hexadecimal
- Polish: heksa — short for hexadecimal
- Arabic: نَحَسَ (naḥasa) — to put a hex on
- Belarusian: зачаро́ўваць (začarówvacʹ) — to put a hex on
- Belarusian: зачарава́ць (začaravácʹ) — to put a hex on
- Bulgarian: омагьосвам (omagjosvam) — to put a hex on
- Czech: zaklít — to put a hex on
- Czech: začarovat — to put a hex on
- Dutch: beheksen — to put a hex on
- Dutch: betoveren — to put a hex on
- Faroese: rúna — to put a hex on
- Faroese: ganda — to put a hex on
- Finnish: kirota — to put a hex on
- Finnish: loitsia — to put a hex on
- Finnish: taikoa — to put a hex on
- French: ensorceler — to put a hex on
- Ancient Greek: καταράομαι (kataráomai) — to put a hex on
- Latin: exsecror — to put a hex on
- Latin: imprecor — to put a hex on
- Latin: dētestor — to put a hex on
- Persian: جادو کردن (jâdu kardan) — to put a hex on
- Polish: rzucać urok — to put a hex on
- Polish: rzucić urok — to put a hex on
- Portuguese: enfeitiçar — to put a hex on
- Russian: зачаро́вывать (začaróvyvatʹ) — to put a hex on
- Russian: зачарова́ть (začarovátʹ) — to put a hex on
- Spanish: hechizar — to put a hex on
- Spanish: aojar — to put a hex on