ex-

English

Alternative forms

• e-

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-

2. out of

   borrowed from Latin: extract, expel, except, expression, exclusion

4. outside

   ex-directory; borrowed from Latin: exterior

6. former

   ex-husband, ex-president, ex-wife

   • 1969 December 7, “Full Frontal Nudity”, in Monty Python's Flying Circus‎, 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.

8. (biology) Lacking, not possessing.

   excaudate, exstipulate

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.

Synonyms

• (outside): out-, exo-, ecto-
• (former): then-
• (lacking): an-, -less, -free

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “outside”): in-, intra-, en-/em-/im-, end-/endo-/ento-

Derived terms

Derived words without entries:

Translations

See also

• e-
• ex
• extra-

References

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

• XE, xe

Czech

Prefix

ex-

1. 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-

1. ex- (former, but still living)

Derived terms

• ex

Finnish

Etymology

< English ex-

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈeks/,

Prefix

ex-

1. (informal) ex- (former)

   ex-aviomies ― ex-husband

   ex-pomo ― ex-boss

Synonyms

• aiempi
• entinen

French

Prefix

ex-

1. ex- (former)

   ‎ex- + ‎femme → ‎ex-femme

Derived terms

Further reading

• “ex-”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Prefix

ex-

1. ex- (former)
2. ex- (out)

Derived terms

Further reading

• “ex-” in Duden online

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Prefix

ex-

1. ex- (former)

Derived terms

Further reading

• ex- in Ittzés, Nóra (ed.). A magyar nyelv nagyszótára (‘A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published A–ez as of 2024)

Italian

Prefix

ex-

1. ex-

Latin

Alternative forms

• ē- (before b, d, g, j, l, m, n, r, or v)
• ec-, ef- (before f)

Etymology

The preposition ex, ē used in combination.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /eks/,
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /eks/,

Prefix

ex-

1. out, away

   ‎ē- + ‎veniō → ‎ēveniō

   ‎ex- + ‎clāmō (“call, shout”) → ‎exclāmō (“call out, exclaim”)

   ‎ex- + ‎eō (“go”) → ‎exeō (“exit, depart”)

2. throughout

   ‎ē- + ‎dormiō → ‎ēdormiō

   ‎ē- + ‎pōtō (“drink”) → ‎ēpōtō (“drink up”)

4. (intensive) thoroughly

   ‎ē- + ‎dūrus → ‎ēdūrō

   ‎ex- + ‎acuō → ‎exacuō

5. denoting achievement

   ‎ex- + ‎ōrō → ‎exōrō

   ‎ex- + ‎pugnō (“battle, fight, combat”) → ‎expugnō (“capture, conquer”)

6. up

   ‎ex- + ‎aggerō → ‎exaggerō

   ‎ex- + ‎struō (“pile, arrange”) → ‎exstruō (“heap up, build up, construct”)

7. denoting privation

   ‎ex- + ‎anima (“air, breath, soul, life”) → ‎exanimō (“deprive of air, deprive of life”)

   ‎ex- + ‎sanguis (“blood”) → ‎exsanguis (“deprived of blood, bloodless”)

Derived terms

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-

1. privation

   ‎ef- + ‎flouren → ‎efflouren

Derived terms

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ex.

Pronunciation

• Homophones: ex, -ês, Es (without /j/), eis (with /j/)

Prefix

ex-

1. ex- (former)

Usage notes

Always used with a hyphen.

Derived terms

• ex

Slovak

Prefix

ex-

1. ex- (former)

Derived terms

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin ex.

Prefix

ex-

1. ex- (former)

Derived terms

Further reading

• “ex-”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Prefix

ex-

1. ex-, former, past

Derived terms

Related terms

• ex

References

• ex- in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• ex- in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• ex- in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)