hex

¹

[ heks ]

verb (used with object)

1. to bewitch; practice witchcraft on:

   He was accused of hexing his neighbors' cows because they suddenly stopped giving milk.

noun

1. spell; charm:

   With all this rain, somebody must have put a hex on our picnic.

2. a witch.

hex

²

[ heks ]

adjective

, Informal.

1. hexagonal:

   a bolt with a matching washer and hex nut.

2. hexadecimal ( def 1 ).

hex.

³

abbreviation for

1. hexagon
2. hexagonal.

hex

¹

/ hɛks /

noun

1. 1. short for hexadecimal
   2. ( as modifier )

      hex code

hex

²

/ hɛks /

verb

1. tr to bewitch

noun

1. an evil spell or symbol of bad luck
2. a witch

Derived Forms

• ˈhexer, noun

Other Words From

• hexer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hex¹

1820–30; < German Hexe witch; hag ¹

Origin of hex²

First recorded in 1920–25; by shortening

Word History and Origins

Origin of hex¹

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

Example Sentences

The last session was Karlheinz Stockhausen’s “Stimmung” performed by the vocal ensemble HEX.

From Los Angeles Times

Two years ago, Black artists at Long Beach Opera accused the company of racial tokenism and LBO canceled the production, which was to have featured HEX.

From Los Angeles Times

HEX artistic director Fahad Siadat said the score operates on the principle of listening to whatever is happening.

From Los Angeles Times

HEX needed no staging to produce a highly theatrical performance.

From Los Angeles Times

After putting Tommy and Billy to bed one last time, Wanda undoes the magical hex controlling the town and the twins dissolve along with their dad because they can’t exist without it.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• jinx
• whammy