*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of hex

First attested about 1830, from Pennsylvania German hexe (“to practice witchcraft”), from German hexen (compare Hexe (“witch”)). The noun appeared later, in the 1850s. Cognate to Norwegian Bokmål heks (“witch”) and Dutch

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

To cast a spell on (specifically an evil spell), to bewitch.

noun

An evil spell or curse. · A witch. · A spell (now rare but still found in compounds such as hex sign and hexcraft).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

First attested about 1830, from Pennsylvania German hexe (“to practice witchcraft”), from German hexen (compare Hexe (“witch”)). The noun appeared later, in the 1850s. Cognate to Norwegian Bokmål heks (“witch”) and Dutch heks (“witch”), Dutch beheksen (“to bewitch”), Old English hægtesse (“witch, hag”). Doublet of hag.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mentionhexepdc · to practice witchcraft
  • Derivation mentionhexende
  • Cognate mentionheksnb · witch
  • Cognate mentionheksnl · witch
  • Cognate mentionbeheksennl · to bewitch
  • Cognate mentionhægtesseang · witch, hag
  • Doublet mentionhagen
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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        "2": "pdc",
        "3": "hexe",
        "t": "to practice witchcraft"
      },
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    },
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        "2": "de",
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    },
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    },
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    },
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    },
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    ]
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of hexadecimal. · A modified game file.

verb

To modify a game file using a hex editor.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Short for hexadecimal.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A hexagonal space on a game board. · a hexagon-shaped item of rock climbing equipment intended to be wedged into a crack or other opening in the rock.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Short for hexagon.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of uranium hexafluoride.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Short for hexafluoride.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for hex →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-aGV4