hex

[ heks ]

/ hɛks /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hex ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to bewitch; practice witchcraft on: He was accused of hexing his neighbors' cows because they suddenly stopped giving milk.

noun

spell; charm: With all this rain, somebody must have put a hex on our picnic.

a witch.

Nearby words

hewers of wood and drawers of water, hewish, hewitt, hewlett, hewn, hex, hex sign, hex., hexa-, hexabasic, hexachloride

Origin of hex

1820–30; < German Hexe witch; see hag¹

Related formshex·er, noun

Definition for hex (2 of 4)

hex

[ heks ]

/ hɛks /

adjective Informal.

hexagonal: a bolt with a matching washer and hex nut.

hexadecimal(def 1).

Origin of hex

First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening

Definition for hex (3 of 4)

hexa-

a combining form meaning “six,” used in the formation of compound words: hexapartite.

Also especially before a vowel, hex-.

Origin of hexa-

combining form representing Greek héx six

Definition for hex (4 of 4)

hex.

hexagon

hexagonal.

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

Examples from the Web for hex

With the power of Stevie Wonder, a hex has been put on a chair of the rival fan.
The Best Celebrity Cameos in Super Bowl Ads|Marina Watts|February 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He got sick, and said he had a hex on him, and took off one day and a lot later they found him up on the mountain.
Goodbye, Dead Man!|Tom W. Harris
Close to the camp, this ridge was cut by a small stream (Hex River) running through a stony gorge.
Two Years on Trek|Louis Eugne du Moulin
So, you were determined to find out what would happen if the hex were tried on a man?
The White Feather Hex|Don Peterson

Darkness found the train labouring through the mountainous defile of the Hex River.
Through South Africa|Henry M. Stanley
Right in front the Hex River Mountains extend like a vast barrier across the line and seem to defy the approaching train.
With Methuen's Column on an Ambulance Train|Ernest N. Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for hex (1 of 3)

hex

/ (hɛks) /

noun

short for hexadecimal
(as modifier)hex code

British Dictionary definitions for hex (2 of 3)

hex

/ (hɛks) informal /

verb

(tr) to bewitch

noun

an evil spell or symbol of bad luck

a witch

Derived Formshexer, noun

Word Origin for hex

C19: via Pennsylvania Dutch from German Hexe witch, from Middle High German hecse, perhaps from Old High German hagzissa; see hag 1

British Dictionary definitions for hex (3 of 3)

hexa-

before a vowel hex-

combining form

sixhexachord; hexameter

Word Origin for hexa-

from Greek, from hex six

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 hex (1 of 2)

hex

1830, American English, from Pennsylvania German hexe "to practice witchcraft," from German hexen "to hex," related to Hexe "witch," from Middle High German hecse, hexse, from Old High German hagazussa (see hag). Noun meaning "magic spell" is first recorded 1909; earlier it meant "a witch" (1856).

Word Origin and History for hex (1 of 2)

hexa-

before vowels, hex-, word-forming element meaning "six," from Greek hexa-, comb. form of hex "six" (see six).

hex

verb (used with object)

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of hex

Definition for hex (2 of 4)

hex

adjective Informal.

Origin of hex

Definition for hex (3 of 4)

hexa-

Origin of hexa-

Definition for hex (4 of 4)

hex.

Examples from the Web for hex

British Dictionary definitions for hex (1 of 3)

hex

noun

British Dictionary definitions for hex (2 of 3)

hex

verb

noun

Word Origin for hex

British Dictionary definitions for hex (3 of 3)

hexa-

before a vowel hex-

combining form

Word Origin for hexa-

Word Origin and History for hex (1 of 2)

hex

Word Origin and History for hex (1 of 2)

hexa-

Medicine definitions for hex

hexa-

pref.