sax

See also: SAX, Sax, and Sax.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sæks/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Homophones: sacks, Sacks, Sachs, Sax
• Rhymes: -æks

Etymology 1

From Middle English sax, sex, from Old English seax (“a knife, hip-knife, an instrument for cutting, a short sword, dirk, dagger”), from Proto-West Germanic *sahs, from Proto-Germanic *sahsą (“stone chip, knife”), from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”). Doublet of seax and zax.

Noun

sax (plural saxes)

1. A slate-cutter’s hammer; slate-ax.
2. (obsolete) A knife or sword; a dagger about 50 cm (20 inches) in length.

Related terms

• Essex
• Middlesex
• saw
• saxie
• Saxon
• seax
• Sussex
• Wessex

Verb

sax (third-person singular simple present saxes, present participle saxing, simple past and past participle saxed)

1. (transitive, British dialectal) To cut or slash with a sharp instrument; incise; scarify.

Etymology 2

Clipping of saxophone. Distantly related to etymology 1 above, because the “Sax” surname is a cognate.

Noun

sax (plural saxes)

1. Clipping of saxophone.

Derived terms

• alto sax
• bari sax
• baritone sax
• bass sax
• contrabass sax
• Mississippi sax
• sax tuba
• sopranino sax
• sopranissimo sax
• soprano sax
• soprillo sax
• subcontrabass sax
• tenor sax

Verb

sax (third-person singular simple present saxes, present participle saxing, simple past and past participle saxed)

1. To play the saxophone

Etymology 3

Clipping of saxe blue, from the name of the region of Saxony.

Noun

sax (plural saxes)

1. (fashion) a shade of colour similar to sky blue

   sax:  

Descendants

• Japanese: サックス (sakkusu)

Anagrams

• ASX, XAS

Aleut

Noun

sax

1. bird skin coat

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɑks/
• Hyphenation: sax
• Rhymes: -ɑks
• Homophone: Sax

Etymology 1

Borrowed, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *sahsą (“stone chip, knife”), from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”). The word also existed in the sixteenth century, but became obsolete and was borrowed again.

Noun

sax c (plural saxen, diminutive saxje n)

1. sax, short sword, dagger

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English sax or less probably a native formation from saxofoon.

Noun

sax m (plural saxen, diminutive saxje n)

1. (informal) sax, saxophone

   Synonym: saxofoon

Finnish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old Norse sax. Doublet of saksa, Saksa, sakset, saksi (“claw”), saksi (“Saxon”), Saksi, and seax.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɑks/, [ˈs̠ɑ̝ks̠]
• Rhymes: -ɑks

Noun

sax

1. (historical) seax (a type of sword)

   Synonyms: seax, viikinkimiekka

Declension

Inflection of sax (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		sax	saxit
genitive		saxin	saxien
partitive		saxia	saxeja
illative		saxiin	saxeihin
		singular	plural
nominative		sax	saxit
accusative	nom.	sax	saxit
	gen.	saxin
genitive		saxin	saxien
partitive		saxia	saxeja
inessive		saxissa	saxeissa
elative		saxista	saxeista
illative		saxiin	saxeihin
adessive		saxilla	saxeilla
ablative		saxilta	saxeilta
allative		saxille	saxeille
essive		saxina	saxeina
translative		saxiksi	saxeiksi
abessive		saxitta	saxeitta
instructive		—	saxein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of sax (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative saxini saxini accusative nom. saxini saxini gen. saxini genitive saxini saxieni partitive saxiani saxejani inessive saxissani saxeissani elative saxistani saxeistani illative saxiini saxeihini adessive saxillani saxeillani ablative saxiltani saxeiltani allative saxilleni saxeilleni essive saxinani saxeinani translative saxikseni saxeikseni abessive saxittani saxeittani instructive — — comitative — saxeineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative saxisi saxisi accusative nom. saxisi saxisi gen. saxisi genitive saxisi saxiesi partitive saxiasi saxejasi inessive saxissasi saxeissasi elative saxistasi saxeistasi illative saxiisi saxeihisi adessive saxillasi saxeillasi ablative saxiltasi saxeiltasi allative saxillesi saxeillesi essive saxinasi saxeinasi translative saxiksesi saxeiksesi abessive saxittasi saxeittasi instructive — — comitative — saxeinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative saximme saximme accusative nom. saximme saximme gen. saximme genitive saximme saxiemme partitive saxiamme saxejamme inessive saxissamme saxeissamme elative saxistamme saxeistamme illative saxiimme saxeihimme adessive saxillamme saxeillamme ablative saxiltamme saxeiltamme allative saxillemme saxeillemme essive saxinamme saxeinamme translative saxiksemme saxeiksemme abessive saxittamme saxeittamme instructive — — comitative — saxeinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative saxinne saxinne accusative nom. saxinne saxinne gen. saxinne genitive saxinne saxienne partitive saxianne saxejanne inessive saxissanne saxeissanne elative saxistanne saxeistanne illative saxiinne saxeihinne adessive saxillanne saxeillanne ablative saxiltanne saxeiltanne allative saxillenne saxeillenne essive saxinanne saxeinanne translative saxiksenne saxeiksenne abessive saxittanne saxeittanne instructive — — comitative — saxeinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative saxinsa saxinsa accusative nom. saxinsa saxinsa gen. saxinsa genitive saxinsa saxiensa partitive saxiaan saxiansa saxejaan saxejansa inessive saxissaan saxissansa saxeissaan saxeissansa elative saxistaan saxistansa saxeistaan saxeistansa illative saxiinsa saxeihinsa adessive saxillaan saxillansa saxeillaan saxeillansa ablative saxiltaan saxiltansa saxeiltaan saxeiltansa allative saxilleen saxillensa saxeilleen saxeillensa essive saxinaan saxinansa saxeinaan saxeinansa translative saxikseen saxiksensa saxeikseen saxeiksensa abessive saxittaan saxittansa saxeittaan saxeittansa instructive — — comitative — saxeineen saxeinensa

Middle English

Alternative forms

• sexe, sex, sæx, seax

Etymology

From Old English seax, from Proto-West Germanic *sahs, from Proto-Germanic *sahsą.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /saks/
• Rhymes: -aks

Noun

sax (plural saxes)

1. a knife (tool)
2. a knife (weapon)

Descendants

• English: sax; zax
• Scots: saks; sax (verb) (through confluence with Norse form)

References

• “sax, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-24.

Northern Kurdish

Adjective

sax

1. alive
2. healthy
3. whole

Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *sahsą (“dagger, knife”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”).

Noun

sax n (genitive sax, plural sǫx)

1. a one-edged sword, a backsword
2. (plural only) shears

Declension

Declension of sax (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	sax	saxit	sǫx	sǫxin
accusative	sax	saxit	sǫx	sǫxin
dative	saxi	saxinu	sǫxum	sǫxunum
genitive	sax	saxins	saxa	saxanna

Derived terms

• saxa (“to cut with a 'sax'”)
• saxknífr m (“dagger, dirk”)
• saxoddr m (“the point of a 'sax”)

Related terms

• saxar m pl (“Saxons”)

Descendants

• Icelandic: sax n
• Faroese: saksur m
• Norwegian Nynorsk: saks f
• Norwegian Bokmål: saks m or f
• Swedish: sax c
• Danish: saks c

Further reading

Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “sax”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive

Scots

Scots numbers ^(edit)

←  5	6	7  →
Cardinal: sax     Ordinal: saxt

Alternative forms

• sex, six

Etymology

From Middle English sex, byform of six.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /saks/

Numeral

sax

1. six

References

• “sax, num. adj.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 21 May 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.
• “sex, num. and n.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 21 May 2024, reproduced from William A[lexander] Craigie, A[dam] J[ack] Aitken [et al.], editors, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1931–2002, →OCLC.
• “six, num. adj., n.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 21 May 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.

Swedish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse sǫx (plural of sax), from Proto-Germanic *sahsą, from Proto-Indo-European *sek-.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

sax c

1. a pair of scissors; shears
2. a trap for animals

Declension

Declension of sax

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	sax	sax
	definite	saxen	saxens
plural	indefinite	saxar	saxars
	definite	saxarna	saxarnas

Related terms

• björnsax
• bultsax
• fårsax
• häcksax
• kökssax
• limpsax
• ljussax
• nagelsax
• plåtsax
• rävsax
• saxa
• saxfiske
• saxning
• saxnäbb
• saxskänkel
• saxskär
• saxsprint
• sysax
• trädgårdssax
• ullsax

Descendants

• → Finnish: sakset pl, saksi sg

Etymology 2

Clipping of saxofon, attested since 1934.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

sax c

1. short of saxofon

Declension

Declension of sax

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	sax	sax
	definite	saxen	saxens
plural	indefinite	saxar	saxars
	definite	saxarna	saxarnas

Related terms

• altsax
• saxsektion
• tenorsax

References

• sax in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• sax in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• sax in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)