hexa-

1. a combining form meaning “six,” used in the formation of compound words:

   hexapartite.

hexa-

combining_form

1. six

   hexameter

   hexachord

Word History and Origins

Origin of hexa-¹

Combining form representing Greek héx six

Word History and Origins

Origin of hexa-¹

from Greek, from hex six

Example Sentences

For a continent-sized, soccer-crazed country that would normally be sharing a collective dream for the hexa — a historic sixth title — the bid for the global championship is raising a deeply personal question.

From Washington Post

Tay-Sachs is a severe neurological disease caused by a deficiency in an enzyme called HexA.

From Scientific American

Without HexA, however, this fatlike substance can accumulate to toxic levels that damage and kill neurons.

From Scientific American

The only effective way to treat Tay-Sachs is to restore the HexA enzyme in the brain.

From Scientific American

In the case of Tay-Sachs, these DNA instructions enter the nucleus of these cells and stay there, allowing for long-term production of HexA.

From Scientific American

Words That Use Hexa-

What does hexa- mean?

Hexa- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “six.” It is used in a great many scientific and other technical terms.

In chemistry, hexa- is specifically used to indicate six atoms or six groups of atoms in compounds, e.g., hexachloride.

Hexa- comes from the Greek héx, meaning “six.” The Latin for “six” is sex, source of the combining forms sex- and sexi-, which you can learn more about at our Words That Use articles for the terms. And we know what you’re thinking: the Latin sex has no relation to that common English meaning of sex.

What are variants of hexa-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, hexa- becomes hex-, as in hexose.

Examples of hexa-

A hexagon is “a polygon having six angles and six sides.” It’s also known as a nonagon.

The first part of the word, hexa-, means “six.” The -gon portion of the word may also look familiar: it is a combining form meaning “angled” or “angular,” from the Greek gōnía. Hexagon literally translates to “six-angled.”

Hexagon comes from the Greek hexágōnon, which features the equivalent form of hexa– in the language.

What are some words that use the combining form hexa- or hex-?

• hexabasic
• hexachlorobenzene
• hexachloride
• hexachord
• hexadecimal
• hexafluoride
• hexagram
• hexameter
• hexamine
• hexane
• hexone
• hexyl

Hex, meaning “to bewitch” among other senses, doesn’t share a root with the combining form hexa- or hex-. Discover the witchy roots of hex at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form -hedron means “face,” in the sense of a face of a geometrical solid figure, e.g., a pyramid has four faces. How many faces does a hexahedron have? Bonus: what’s another, more familiar name for a hexahedron?