hex

See also: Hex and hex-

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈhɛks/, [ˈhɛks]
    • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛks
  • Hyphenation: hex

Etymology 1

First attested about 1830, from Pennsylvania German hexe (“to practice witchcraft”), from German hexen (compare Hexe (“witch”)).[1] The noun appeared later, in the 1850s.[2] 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.
    Synonyms: bespell, jinx, spellbind; see also Thesaurus:enchant
Translations

Noun

hex (plural hexes)

  1. An evil spell or curse.
    Synonyms: jinx, malediction
  2. A witch.
    Synonyms: enchantress, sorceress, wizardess
    Hypernyms: spellcaster, thaumaturge; see also Thesaurus:magician
  3. (rare) A spell (now rare but still found in compounds such as hex sign and hexcraft).
    Synonyms: enchantment, incantation, spell; see also Thesaurus:magic spell
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Short for hexadecimal.

Noun

hex (uncountable)

  1. (computing, informal) Clipping of hexadecimal.
  3. (video game modding, chiefly Petz) A modified game file.
    • 2013 August 5, nine lives, “How to add a hexed pet to my game”, in RKC Petz Forum‎[1], archived from the original on 27 July 2026:
      I don't even know how to put a hex in my game if a friend makes me something.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

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

  2. (video game modding, chiefly Petz) To modify a game file using a hex editor.
    • 2016 May 15, melissa mcewen, “Petz: A lost community of mostly women coders/gamers”, in Medium‎[2], archived from the original on 27 March 2026, retrieved 27 July 2026:
      Modding this was called “hexing” in the community. This was because you did it with a hex editor, reading through the numbers in the files to find the “ballz” and “linez” that made up the Petz and the variables that determined their size, position, and color.

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

See also

  • (climbing): nut

Etymology 4

Short for hexafluoride.

Noun

hex (plural hexes)

  1. (chemistry) Clipping of uranium hexafluoride.

References

  1. ^ “hex”, in Merriam-Webster Online, Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 1996–present.
  2. ^ “hex”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.

Anagrams

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