Wessex
Americannoun
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(in the Middle Ages) a kingdom, later an earldom, in S England. Winchester.
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the fictional setting of the novels of Thomas Hardy, principally identifiable with Dorsetshire.
noun
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an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in S and SW England that became the most powerful English kingdom by the 10th century a.d
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(in Thomas Hardy's works) the southwestern counties of England, esp Dorset
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( as modifier )
Wessex Poems
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noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By the mid-700s, the author writes, only the kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria, Wessex, East Anglia and Kent “functioned as largely autonomous units.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
He defeated Cynewulf, the king of Wessex, at the Battle of Bensington in 779.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
When Cockfosters face AFC Stoneham of the Wessex League Premier Division on Sunday, it will be quite the change from the conditions Lovell and his team-mates have encountered over a gruelling season.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Emily Burns will direct the new adaptation of Hay Fever, which is being produced by Wessex Grove and Gavin Kalin Productions.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Sea Kings and Wessex helicopters flew over from San Carlos to get the men out of the freezing water.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.