Etymologically
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sex

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈsɛks][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈsɛks][1]

Forms

sex (indeclinable)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *seks (“six”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ueks (“six”).[2][1] Proto-Italic dropped the /w/ of *sweks by analogy with *septm̥ “seven”.[2] In sēdecim “sixteen” and sēnī “six each” the /ks/ was lost before a voiced consonant with lengthening of the vowel.[2]

Cognate with Old Irish sé (“six”), Sanskrit षष् (ṣáṣ, “six”), Avestan xšuuaš (“six”), Ancient Greek ἕξ (héx, “six”), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃 (saihs, “six”) and English six.[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards,[2][3] as in sex minae, “six minas”.[4]

Semantic evolution

It was always the number six.[5] Sex menses, “six months”, meant half a year, and sex septem “six or seven”.[6][7] The spelling sexs is common in inscriptions.[5][4]

It survives as Italian sei, French six, Spanish and Portuguese seis and Romanian șase.[1] English sice, a six at dice, came from it through Old French in the late 14th century.[8]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][4][3]
  • 190–159 BC – Terence uses sex menses, “six months”.[4][3]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[6][3]
  • late 14th century – English sice comes from it through Old French.[8]

Meanings

Numeral

  1. Six.[5][1]

Word family

  • sēiugis
  • sēmēnstris
  • sēnī
  • sēpēs
  • sescentī
  • sēvir
  • sexangulus
  • sexātrūs
  • sexennis
  • sexennium
  • sexiens
  • sexpertītus

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  4. ^ a b c d Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com