sex

sex

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of sex in English

English Online Dictionary. What means sex‎? What does sex mean?

English

Alternative forms

  • sexe (archaic)
  • s'x, s*x (censored)

Pronunciation

  • enPR: sĕks, IPA(key): /sɛks/
  • Rhymes: -ɛks
  • Homophones: secs, sects (some accents)

Etymology 1

From Middle English sexe (“gender”), from Old French sexe (“genitals; gender”), from Latin sexus (“gender; gender traits; males or females; genitals”), from Proto-Italic *seksus, from Proto-Indo-European *séksus, from *sek- (“to cut, cut off, sever”), thus meaning "section, division" (into male and female).

Usage for women influenced by Middle French le sexe (“women”) (attested in 1580). Usage for third and additional sexes calqued from French troisième sexe, referring to masculine women in 1817 and homosexuals in 1847. First used by Lord Byron and others in English in reference to Catholic clergy. Usage for sexual intercourse first attested in 1899 (in the writings of H. G. Wells).

Noun

sex (countable and uncountable, plural sexes)

  1. (countable) A category into which sexually-reproducing organisms are divided on the basis of their reproductive roles in their species.
  2. (countable) Another category, especially of humans and especially based on sexuality or gender roles.
  3. (countable) The members of such a category, taken collectively.
  4. (uncountable) The distinction and relation between these categories, especially in humans; gender.
  6. (obsolete or literary, uncountable, with "the") Women; the human female gender and those who belong to it.
  7. (uncountable) Sexual activity, usually sexual intercourse unless preceded by a modifier. [from 1899]
    • 1934, translation of the Qur'an (23:5) by Abdullah Yusuf Ali
      (The believers ... those ... ) who abstain from sex
    • 1962 June 7, The Listener, 1006/2:
      Why wasn't Bond ‘more tender’ in his love-making? Why did he just ‘have sex’ and disappear?
  8. (countable, euphemistic or slang) Genitalia: a penis or vagina/vulva.
Usage notes
  • Sometimes, sex and gender are distinguished.
Synonyms
  • (divisions of organisms by reproductive role): gender (proscribed when referring to humans: see usage note)
  • (copulation): See also Thesaurus:copulation
Hypernyms
  • See species
Hyponyms
  • (usual): See male and female
  • (in some contexts): See bigender, transgender, genderless, intersex, genderfluid, homosexual, eunuch
  • (jocular, now uncommon): See clergy
Derived terms
Related terms
Descendants
  • → Dutch: seks
  • → German: Sex
  • → Hindi: सेक्स (seks)
Translations
See also

Verb

sex (third-person singular simple present sexes, present participle sexing, simple past and past participle sexed)

  1. (zoology, transitive) To determine the sex of (an animal).
  2. (chiefly US, colloquial, transitive) To have sex with.
  3. (chiefly US, colloquial, intransitive) To have sex.
Synonyms
  • (to have sex): do it, get it on, have sex; see also Thesaurus:copulate
Derived terms
  • missex
  • sex up
Translations

Further reading

  • “sex, n.1”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  • “sex, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Etymology 2

From sect.

Noun

sex (plural sexes)

  1. (obsolete) Alternative form of sect.

Further reading

  • “sex, n.2”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
  • "sex" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 283.

References

Anagrams

  • Xes, exs., sXe

Czech

Alternative forms

  • sexus (rare)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sexus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈsɛks]
  • Hyphenation: sex

Noun

sex m inan

  1. sex (sexual intercourse)
    Synonym: soulož

Declension

Related terms

Further reading

  • “sex”, in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu (in Czech)
  • “sex”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
  • “sex”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

Danish

Etymology

From English sex.

Pronunciation

  • Homophone: seks

Noun

sex c

  1. (uncountable) Sexual intercourse, sex.

Derived terms

  • analsex
  • gruppesex
  • oralsex
  • sexet (adjective)

Related terms

  • seksualitet c
  • seksuel (adjective)

Dutch

Noun

sex m (uncountable)

  1. (proscribed) Alternative spelling of seks

Usage notes

  • Certain magazines use sex instead of seks, since the correct spelling is regarded more neutral and official, and the other more exciting.

Icelandic

Etymology 1

From Old Norse sex, from Proto-Germanic *sehs. Cognates include Faroese seks and Danish seks.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [sɛks], [sɛxs]
    Rhymes: -ɛks, -ɛxs
  • (regional) IPA(key): [sɛɣs]

Numeral

sex

  1. six
Derived terms
  • sexa

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English sex, from Middle English sexe, from Old French sexe, from Latin sexus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [sɛks]
    Rhymes: -ɛks

Noun

sex n (genitive singular sex, nominative plural sex)

  1. sex, sexual intercourse
Declension

References

Interlingua

Etymology

From Old Norse sex, from Proto-Germanic *sehs, from Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs (“six”).

Numeral

sex

  1. six

Latin

Alternative forms

  • Symbol: VI, IIIIII

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *seks, from Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs.

Cognates include Sanskrit षष् (ṣaṣ), Old Armenian վեց (vecʻ), Ancient Greek ἕξ (héx), and Old English six (English six).

Pronunciation

  • (Classical Latin) IPA(key): /seks/, [s̠ɛks̠]
  • (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /seks/, [sɛks]

Numeral

sex (indeclinable)

  1. six; 6

Descendants

See also

  • Appendix:Latin cardinal numerals

References

  • sex in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • sex in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • sex in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly

Lombard

Etymology

From Latin sex.

Pronunciation

  • (Old Lombard) IPA(key): [ˈseʒ]

Numeral

sex

  1. (Old Lombard) six

Descendants

  • Lombard: ses, sees

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

sex

  1. sex
    • a. 1382, Bible (Wycliffite), Genesis, Chapter vi, Verse 19:

Etymology 2

From Old English seax.

Noun

sex

  1. Alternative form of sax

Etymology 3

From Old English sex, alternative form of six.

Numeral

sex

  1. Alternative form of six

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English sex, from Latin sexus.

Noun

sex m (definite singular sexen, uncountable)

  1. sex (sexual intercourse)

Derived terms

  • sexliv

References

  • “sex” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
  • “sex” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English sex, from Latin sexus.

Noun

sex m (definite singular sexen, uncountable)

  1. sex (sexual intercourse)

Derived terms

  • sexliv

References

  • “sex” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /seks/

Noun

sex n (Late West Saxon)

  1. Alternative form of seax (“shortsword, dagger, knife”)

Old Frisian

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *sehs.

Numeral

sex

  1. six.

Descendants

  • North Frisian:
    Föhr-Amrum, Mooring and Wiedingharde: seeks
    Helgoland: sös
    Sylt: soks
  • Saterland Frisian: säks
  • West Frisian: seis

Old Norse

Alternative forms

  • sjax — broken form

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *sehs, whence also Old English six (English six), Old Frisian sex, Old Saxon sehs, Middle Dutch sesse (Dutch zes), Old High German sehs (German sechs), Gothic 𐍃𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍃 (saihs). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs, cognate with Sanskrit षष् (ṣaṣ), Old Armenian վեց (vecʻ), Ancient Greek ἕξ (héx).

Numeral

sex

  1. (cardinal number) six

Descendants

  • Icelandic: sex
  • Faroese: seks
  • Norn: siks
  • Norwegian Bokmål: seks
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: seks
  • Old Swedish: sæx, siæx
    • Swedish: sex
  • Old Danish: sæx, ᛋᛁᛆᚼᛋ, siahs
    • Danish: seks
  • Elfdalian: sjäks
  • Old Gutnish: siex
    • Gutnish: siex, sex

References

  • sex in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Pennsylvania German

Alternative forms

  • sechs

Etymology

Compare German sechs, Dutch zes, English six.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sɛk͡s/

Numeral

sex

  1. six

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin sexus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /seks/
  • Rhymes: -eks

Noun

sex n (plural sexe or sexuri)

  1. gender, sex
  2. sex, sexual intercourse

Usage notes

  • The common plural form is sexe; sexuri is regional.

Declension

Derived terms

  • sexul slab
  • sexul tare

Scots

Numeral

sex

  1. Alternative form of sax

References

  • “sex, num., n.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 23 May 2024, reproduced from William A[lexander] Craigie, A[dam] J[ack] Aitken [et al.], editors, A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, 1931–2002, →OCLC.
  • “six, num. adj, n.”, in The Dictionary of the Scots Language, Edinburgh: Scottish Language Dictionaries, 2004–present, →OCLC, retrieved 23 May 2024, reproduced from W[illiam] Grant and D[avid] D. Murison, editors, The Scottish National Dictionary, Edinburgh: Scottish National Dictionary Association, 1931–1976, →OCLC.

Slovak

Etymology

Derived from English sex, from Latin sexus.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈsɛks/

Noun

sex m inan (genitive singular sexu, nominative plural sexy, genitive plural sexov, declension pattern of dub)

  1. sex (intercourse, sexual activity)

Declension

Derived terms

  • sexi, sexy (adjective)
  • sexuálny (adjective)
  • sexuálne (adverb)
  • sexuálnosť f

References

  • “sex”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024

Swedish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /sɛks/
  • Homophone: säcks (in accents that don't distinguish short e and ä)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Swedish sæx, siæx, from Old Norse sex, from Proto-Germanic *sehs, from Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs (“six”).

Numeral

sex

  1. six
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
  • klockan sex
  • sexa
  • sexsnåret
  • sextiden
  • sjätte
  • sjättedel
See also
  • noll, ett, två, tre, fyra, fem, sex, sju, åtta, nio, tio, elva, tolv

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English sex, from Latin sexus.

Noun

sex n (uncountable)

  1. sex (intercourse, sexual activity)
    att ha sex ― to have sex
Declension
Synonyms
  • samlag
  • könsumgänge
  • ligg
  • nyp
  • knull
  • pök
  • älskog
Derived terms
Related terms
  • sexig (“sexy”)
  • sexologi (“sexology”)
  • sexual-
  • sexualakt
  • sexualisera (“sexualize”)
  • sexualisering (“sexualization”)
  • sexualitet (“sexuality”)
  • sexuell (“sexual”)
See also
  • penis
  • vagina
  • könsliv
  • sexualkunskap (“sex education”)
  • blommor och bin

References

  • sex in Svensk ordbok (SO)
  • sex in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
  • sex in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
  • Fula Ordboken

Uzbek

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian цех (cex), from Polish cech, from Middle High German zëch(e); see modern German Zeche.

Noun

sex (plural sexlar)

  1. shop, section (of a factory)

Declension

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