hex

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun an evil spell
  2. verb cast a spell over someone or something; put a hex on someone or something
  3. adjective of or pertaining to a number system having 16 as its base

Etymology

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.

In classic literature

Synonyms

jinx, curse, whammy

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