ex-
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
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”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (hyphened always) /ɛks/
- IPA(key): (unhyphened with primary or secondary stress) /ɛks/, (before a vowel) /ɛɡz/
- IPA(key): (unhyphened unstressed) /ɪks/, (before a vowel) /ɪɡz/
Prefix
ex-
- out of
- borrowed from Latin: extract, expel, except, expression, exclusion
- outside
- ex-directory; borrowed from Latin: exterior
- former
- 1969 December 7, “Full Frontal Nudity”, in Monty Python's Flying Circus[1], season 1, episode 8, spoken by Mr Praline (John Cleese), Dead Parrot sketch:
- This parrot is no more. It has ceased to be. It's expired and gone to see its maker. This is a late parrot. It's a stiff. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. If you hadn't nailed it to the perch it would be pushing up the daisies. It's run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. This is an ex-parrot.
- 2018 April 16, Stephen Collinson, “Trump now faces Comey’s moral assault”, in CNN[2]:
- While he may not deserve to be branded a “slimeball,” as Trump did on Sunday, Comey does risk coming across as a disgruntled ex-employee and someone seeking vengeance for his dismissal. He has a highly developed sense of his own morality and sometimes comes across as holier than thou.
- 2023 September 30, CSX8600, “September 2023 Update”, in Mesabrook Blog[3]:
- A major event involves an ex-member of our build team. Due to a lack of legal protection on Mesabrook’s end, this member was able to make a legal request to have their builds and artwork removed from the Mesabrook project.
- (biology) Lacking, not possessing.
Usage notes
- Sometimes the x in ex- is elided before certain constants, being reduced to e- (as, e.g., in ejaculate and egregious which are borrowed from Latin).
- Words derived from ex- in the sense of former are usually formed with a hyphen. Using hyphen is recommended by GPO manual.[1]
Synonyms
Antonyms
Derived terms
English terms prefixed with ex-
Derived words without entries:
- ex-actor
- ex-atheist
- ex-athlete
- ex-Beatle
- ex-boss
- ex-CEO
- ex-CFO
- ex-Christian
- ex-colleague
- ex-consul
- ex-councillor
- ex-Czar
- ex-dictator
- ex-director
- ex-doctor
- ex-drummer
- ex-emperor
- ex-employee
- ex-fighter
- ex-fighter pilot
- ex-friend
- ex-governor
- ex-guitarist
- ex-Hindu
- ex-Jesuit
- ex-Jew
- ex-Jewish
- ex-judge
- ex-Kaiser
- ex-lover
- ex-manager
- ex-mayor
- ex-member
- ex-minister
- ex-Muslim
- ex-official
- ex-organ grinder
- ex-piano player
- ex-pilot
- ex-policeman
- ex-police officer
- ex-praetor
- ex-priest
- ex-programmer
- ex-scientist
- ex-Scientologist
- ex-senator
- ex-sergeant
- ex-soldier
- ex-statistician
- ex-student
Translations
former
|
See also
References
- ^ 6. Compounding Rules in U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual, govinfo.gov
Further reading
- “ex-”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
- “ex-”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
- “ex-”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
- “ex-”, in Collins English Dictionary.
- ex- in Britannica Dictionary
- John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “ex-”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.
- John A. Simpson and Edmund S. C. Weiner, editors (1989), “ex-”, in The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford: Clarendon Press, →ISBN.
Anagrams
Catalan
Etymology
Prefix
ex-
Derived terms
Catalan terms prefixed with ex-
Further reading
- “ex-”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
- “ex-”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
- “ex-” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “ex-” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Czech
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ɛks ]
Prefix
ex-
- ex- (former)
Derived terms
Further reading
- ex- in Slovník afixů užívaných v češtině, 2017
Dutch
Etymology
Borrowed from French ex-, from Latin ex-.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɛks/
Audio: (file)
Prefix
ex-
- ex- (former, but still living)
Derived terms
Dutch terms prefixed with ex-
Finnish
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈeks/, [ˈe̞ks̠]
Prefix
ex-
- (informal) ex- (former)
- ex-aviomies ― ex-husband
- ex-pomo ― ex-boss
Synonyms
French
Prefix
ex-
Derived terms
Further reading
- “ex-”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
German
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Prefix
ex-
Derived terms
German terms prefixed with ex-
Further reading
- “ex-” in Duden online
Hungarian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈɛks]
Prefix
ex-
- ex- (former)
Derived terms
Hungarian nouns prefixed with ex-
Further reading
- ex- in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).
Italian
Prefix
ex-
Latin
Alternative forms
Etymology
The preposition ex, ē used in combination.
Pronunciation
- (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ɛks]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [eks]
Prefix
ex-
- out, away
- throughout
- (intensive) thoroughly
- denoting achievement
- up
- denoting privation
Derived terms
Latin terms prefixed with ex-
Descendants
References
- “ex-” on pages 629–630 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (1st ed., 1968–82)
Middle English
Alternative forms
- ef- (before f)
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Prefix
ex-
Derived terms
Middle English terms prefixed with ex-
Portuguese
Etymology
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌe(j)s/ [ˌe(ɪ̯)s]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /ˌe(j)ʃ/ [ˌe(ɪ̯)ʃ]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˌeʃ/
Prefix
ex-
- ex- (former)
Usage notes
Always used with a hyphen.
Derived terms
Portuguese terms prefixed with ex-
Slovak
Prefix
ex-
- ex- (former)
Derived terms
Slovak terms prefixed with ex-
Spanish
Etymology
Prefix
ex-
- ex- (former)
Derived terms
Spanish terms prefixed with ex-
Further reading
- “ex-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024
Swedish
Prefix
ex-
Derived terms
Swedish terms prefixed with ex-