ex-

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a prefix meaning “out of,” “from,” and hence “utterly,” “thoroughly,” and sometimes meaning “not” or “without” or indicating a former title, status, etc.; freely used as an English formative: exstipulate; exterritorial; ex-president (former president); ex-member; ex-wife.

Also e-¹, ef-.

Origin of ex-

< Latin, combining form of ex, ē (preposition) out (of), from, beyond

ex-

variant of exo-.

ex-

a prefix identical in meaning with ex- 1, occurring before vowels in words of Greek origin: exarch; exegesis.

Also ec-.

Origin of ex-

< Gk combining form of ex, ek, out (of), from, beyond; see ec-, ex-¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ex-

previous, past, sometime, old, once, early, preceding, earlier, late, prior, recent, departed, erstwhile, retiring, last, departing, latter, ancient, bygone, over

British Dictionary definitions for ex-

ex-

prefix

out of; outside of; fromexclosure; exurbia

formerex-wife

Word Origin for ex-

from Latin, from ex (prep), identical in meaning and origin with Greek ex, ek; see ec-

ex-

combining form

a variant of exo- exergonic

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

Word Origin and History for ex-

word-forming element, in English meaning mainly "out of, from," but also "upwards, completely, deprive of, without," and "former;" from Latin ex "out of, from within," from PIE *eghs "out" (cf. Gaulish ex-, Old Irish ess-, Old Church Slavonic izu, Russian iz). In some cases also from Greek cognate ex, ek. PIE *eghs had comparative form *eks-tero and superlative *eks-t(e)r-emo-.

ex- in Medicine

ex-

pref.

Outside; out of; away from:excementosis.