Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A dialectal variant of ax.
  • noun A dialectal form of ax.
  • A dialectal variant of ask.
  • noun The name of the letter X, x. It is rarely written, the symbol being used instead.
  • A Latin preposition, meaning ‘out,’ ‘out of.’
  • An abbreviation of Exodus.
  • A prefix of Latin, and in some cases of Greek origin, meaning primarily ‘out,’ ‘out of.’

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • A prefix from the latin preposition, ex, akin to Gr. 'ex or 'ek signifying out of, out, proceeding from. Hence, in composition, it signifies out of, . In some words, it intensifies the meaning; in others, it has little affect on the signification. It becomes ef- before f, as in effuse. The form e- occurs instead of ex- before b, d, g, l, m, n, r, and v, as in ebullient, emanate, enormous, etc. In words from the French it often appears as es-, sometimes as s- or é-. Ex-, prefixed to names implying office, station, condition, denotes that the person formerly held the office, or is out of the office or condition now. The Greek form 'ex becomes ex in English, as in exarch; 'ek becomes ec, as in eccentric.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • prefix out of
  • prefix outside
  • prefix former, but still living (almost always used with a hyphen)
  • prefix biology Lacking.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a man who was formerly a certain woman's husband
  • adjective out of fashion
  • noun a woman who was formerly a particular man's wife
  • noun the 24th letter of the Roman alphabet

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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 (eks, "out of, from"), Transalpine Gaulish ex- ("out"), Old Irish ess- ("out"), Old Church Slavonic изу (izu, "out"), Russian из (iz, "from, out of").

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Examples

  • In sharp contrast, you think your ex- has taken all the 'good' with him or her and is living it up.

    Leo Averbach: Divorce: Earthquake or Volcano? Leo Averbach 2011

  • Traveling with her tiny Pomeranian, she checks into a motel and calls that ex-: Buddy Slade Patrick Wilson.

    Marshall Fine: Movie Review: Young Adult Marshall Fine 2011

  • Sam is the name of two little boys I know, but it is a good ex- con-sounding name.

    The Sitzer Ann Bogle 2011

  • Preface it with ex- and the definition became something altogether different.

    Miracles, Inc. T.J. Forrester 2011

  • "When people see headlines that Calpers has had a great year, it takes some of the pressure off" for change, says David Crane , a former adviser to ex-Gov.

    The Outlook at Calpers Is Brightening, a Little Michael Corkery 2011

  • Siemens is naming ex-Gen. Stanley McChrystal to a supervisory role as part of its push to win more business with the U.S. government.

    What's News: Business & Finance 2011

  • Ferran Adrià is not closing El Bulli, the world's ex- best restaurant, tonight, he is simply "changing, moving on … improving", a process that involves, erm, closing it.

    El Bulli closes: Farewell parmesan frozen air... 2011

  • An aide to ex-Rep. Giffords, who was wounded at the same event where she was shot, said he will run to fill her seat.

    What's News: World-Wide 2012

  • The people said that an SAC managing director, Michael C. Sullivan , a former staffer for ex-Sen. John Ensign, also cited Mr. Cohen's civic-minded interest in considering purchasing a stake in the New York Mets.

    Senator Probes Trades at SAC Jenny Strasburg 2011

  • While the full impact of John Nettles's departure has yet to be ascertained, ill-chosen remarks by now ex- producer Brian True-May re: the programme's status as a "bastion of Englishness" have hinted at something more sinister lurking in the Midsomer undergrowth.

    Top Gear, New Tricks, Lewis … the television shows that won't die 2011

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