Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

ex-

/ɛks/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.81 in modern English

Syllables
ex-
IPA
/ɛks/
9
Scrabble Score
2
Letters
2
Syllables
2
Unique Chars

Meaning

prefix

out of

prefix

outside

prefix

former

prefix

Without, not possessing; lacking.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex-der. Middle French ex-bor. Middle English ex- English ex- From Middle English, from words borrowed from Middle French; from Latin ex (“out of, from”), from Proto-Indo-European *eǵ-, *eǵs- (“out”), *eǵʰs. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἐξ (ex, “out of, from”), Transalpine Gaulish ex- (“out”), Old Irish ess- (“out”), Old Church Slavonic изъ (izŭ, “out”), Russian из (iz, “from, out of”). For sense 3 (“former”), compare sense 11 at Latin ex (indicates a change of state, (later) used before terms denoting an office to indicate that one has completed his term of office). It is probably a semantic extension from the sense of "out, away".

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: -, ex, *eǵ-

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

ex-directory ex-actor ex-atheist ex-athlete ex-Beatle ex-boss ex-CEO ex-CFO

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Homonyms

Antonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce ex-?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɛks/.
What does ex- mean?
out of
Where does ex- come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce ex-

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