DEFINITIONS
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six

[ siks ]
/ sɪks /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR six ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

adjective

amounting to six in number.

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Words related to six

muddled, bewildered, perplexed, puzzled, distracted, perturbed, befuddled, dazed, disorganized, baffled, thrown, gone, abashed, addled, disconcerted, discombobulated, stumped, misled, flummoxed, nonplussed

Words nearby six

sivapithecus, sivas, sivash sea, siwalik hills, siwash, six, six characters in search of an author, six counties, six day war, six feet under, six nations

Idioms for six

    at sixes and sevens,
    1. in disorder or confusion.
    2. in disagreement or dispute.

Origin of six

before 900; Middle English six, sex, Old English siex, syx, seox, sex; cognate with Dutch zes, Low German ses, German sechs, Old Norse sex, Gothic saihs, Latin sex, Greek héx, Sanskrit ṣaṣ
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for at sixes and sevens (1 of 2)

six
/ (sɪks) /

noun

determiner

  1. amounting to sixsix nations
  2. (as pronoun)set the table for six

Other words from six

Related prefixes: hexa-, sex-

Word Origin for six

Old English siex; related to Old Norse sex, Gothic saihs, Old High German sehs, Latin sex, Greek hex, Sanskrit sastha

British Dictionary definitions for at sixes and sevens (2 of 2)

Six
/ (French sis) /

noun

Les Six (le) a group of six young composers in France, who from about 1916 formed a temporary association as a result of interest in neoclassicism and in the music of Satie and the poetry of Cocteau. Its members were Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Francis Poulenc, Georges Auric, Louis Durey, and Germaine Tailleferre
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for at sixes and sevens

at sixes and sevens

In a state of confusion or disorder: “Trying to cram for this math test has me all at sixes and sevens.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Idioms and Phrases with at sixes and sevens (1 of 2)

at sixes and sevens

Confused, disorganized, disorderly, as in We've just moved in, and the office is still at sixes and sevens, or The new college admissions tests were poorly explained, leaving the students at sixes and sevens. This ancient term is thought to come from a game of dice in which throwing a six or seven had a particular significance. The name of the game has been lost, but most likely betting on such a throw was very risky, denoting disorder and confusion. [Late 1300s]

Idioms and Phrases with at sixes and sevens (2 of 2)

six

In addition to the idioms beginning with six

  • six feet under
  • six of one, half a dozen of the other

also see:

  • at sixes and sevens
  • deep six
  • Joe six-pack
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.