hex

See also: Hex and hex-

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɛks/

• Audio (RP)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛks

Etymology 1

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.

Verb

hex (third-person singular simple present hexes, present participle hexing, simple past and past participle hexed)

1. (transitive) To cast a spell on (specifically an evil spell), to bewitch.

Translations

to put a hex on

• Belarusian: зачаро́ўваць impf (začaróŭvacʹ), зачарава́ць pf (začaravácʹ)
• Bulgarian: омагьосвам (bg) (omagjosvam)
• Czech: zaklít (cs) pf, začarovat pf
• Dutch: beheksen (nl), betoveren (nl)
• Finnish: kirota (fi), loitsia (fi), taikoa (fi)
• French: ensorceler (fr)
• Greek:

  Ancient: καταράομαι (kataráomai)

• Latin: exsecror, imprecor, dētestor
• Persian: جادو کردن‎ (jâdu kardan)
• Portuguese: enfeitiçar (pt)
• Russian: зачаро́вывать (ru) impf (začaróvyvatʹ), зачарова́ть (ru) pf (začarovátʹ)
• Spanish: hechizar (es)

Noun

hex (plural hexes)

1. An evil spell or curse.
2. A witch.
3. (rare) A spell (now rare but still found in compounds such as hex sign and hexcraft).

Derived terms

• dehex
• hexcraft

 

Translations

an evil spell or curse

• Bulgarian: магия (bg) f (magija)
• Czech: kletba (cs) f
• Danish: forbandelse c
• Dutch: vloek (nl) ?, betovering (nl) ?, beheksing ?
• Finnish: taika (fi), loitsu (fi), kirous (fi)
• French: sortilège (fr) m, sort (fr) m
• German: Fluch (de) m, Verhexung f
• Greek:

  Ancient: ἀρά f (ará), κατάρα f (katára)

• Hungarian: rontás
• Italian: sortilegio (it) ?
• Latin: exsēcrātiō f, imprecātiō f
• Persian: جادو‎ (fa) (jâdu)
• Polish: urok (pl) n, klątwa (pl) f, przekleństwo (pl) n
• Romanian: blestem (ro) n
• Tocharian B: śāp ?
• Turkish: büyü (tr), kargış (tr)

a witch

• Arabic: ساحِرة‎ ? (sāḥira), مُشَعْوِذة‎ (ar) ? (mušaʕwiḏa)
• Bulgarian: вещица (bg) f (veštica)
• Danish: heks c
• Norwegian: heks f
• Polish: wiedźma (pl) f
• Swedish: häxa (sv) c
• Dutch: heks (nl) ?
• Finnish: noita (fi)
• French: sorcière (fr) f
• Galician: bruxa (gl) f, meiga (gl) f
• German: Hexe (de) f
• Italian: strega (it) f
• Latin: veneficus m, venefica f
• Turkish: büyücü (tr)

rare: a spell

• German: Spruch (de) m, Hexspruch m

Etymology 2

Short for hexadecimal.

Noun

hex (uncountable)

1. (computing, informal) Clipping of hexadecimal.

Derived terms

• hex edit
• hex editor
• hex-edit
• hex-editor

 

Translations

short for hexadecimal

• Finnish: heksa (fi)
• Greek: δεκαεξαδικό (el) (dekaexadikó)

Etymology 3

Short for hexagon.

Noun

hex (plural hexes)

1. A hexagonal space on a game board.
2. (climbing) a hexagon-shaped item of rock climbing equipment intended to be wedged into a crack or other opening in the rock.

Derived terms

• hex crawl
• hex head bolt
• hex head screw
• hex head wrench
• hex key
• megahex

 

See also

• (climbing): nut

Anagrams

• exh