Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

sax

/sæks/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.15 in modern English

Syllables
sax
IPA
/sæks/
10
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Alternative spelling of zax.

noun

A knife or sword; a dagger about 50 cm (20 inches) in length.

Obsolete

noun

An early medieval type of machete common with the Germanic peoples.

verb

To cut or slash with a sharp instrument; incise; scarify.

British usage; Transitive verb

noun

Clipping of saxophone.

verb

To play the saxophone

noun

a shade of colour similar to sky blue

name

Acronym of Simple API for XML.

Etymology

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.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Music.

Inflected Forms

saxes (plural) saxes (present, singular) saxing (participle, present) saxed (participle, past) saxed (past)

Derived Forms

saxist saxman saxtuba tubax sax saxophone

Phrases

alto sax bari sax baritone sax bass sax contrabass sax Mississippi sax sax tuba sopranino sax

Frequently Paired Words

Essex Middlesex saw saxie Saxon seax Sussex Wessex

Synonyms

saxophone

Homonyms

sacks Sachs Sax sacs

Rhymes With

tax attacks max tracks relax blacks backs packs wax cracks lacks snacks

Questions

How do you pronounce sax?
The recorded pronunciation is /sæks/.
What does sax mean?
Alternative spelling of zax.
Where does sax come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce sax

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “sax”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/sæks/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “sax”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “sax” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.