"-x" meaning in English

See -x in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Suffix

Head templates: {{head|en|suffix|cat2=|cat3=|cat4=|head=|id=}} -x, {{en-suffix}} -x
  1. Used to represent a value that may vary: see x. Tags: morpheme
    Sense id: en--x-en-suffix-en:value
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Suffix

IPA: /ks/
Etymology: The letter x is prototypically pronounced [ks] in English; it therefore serves as a convenient shorthand for the digraphs (cs, ks, etc.) or trigraphs (cks etc.) that would otherwise represent that consonant cluster. Head templates: {{head|en|suffix|cat2=|cat3=|cat4=|head=|id=}} -x, {{en-suffix}} -x
  1. (chiefly US, informal) Used to replace a /ks/ sound, especially in monosyllabic words ending in -cks or -ks. Tags: US, informal, morpheme Related terms: -z
    Sense id: en--x-en-suffix-en:ks_sound Categories (other): American English, English terms with collocations, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 6 entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 21 57 5 17 Disambiguation of Pages with 6 entries: 9 23 1 6 11 11 5 26 7
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Suffix

Etymology templates: {{noncog|la|recipe}} Latin recipe Head templates: {{head|en|suffix|cat2=|cat3=|cat4=|head=|id=}} -x, {{en-suffix}} -x
  1. An abbreviation marker. Tags: morpheme
    Sense id: en--x-en-suffix-en:abbreviation
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 3

Suffix

Etymology: From the use of x as a neutral or nonspecific placeholder. Head templates: {{head|en|suffix|cat2=|cat3=|cat4=|head=|id=}} -x, {{en-suffix}} -x
  1. (neologism) Used to replace a gendered suffix. Tags: morpheme, neologism Related terms: x
    Sense id: en--x-en-suffix-en:gender_neutral Categories (other): English neologisms, Gender, Non-binary Disambiguation of Gender: 0 0 0 100 Disambiguation of Non-binary: 23 26 13 38
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 4
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      "args": {
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        "2": "suffix",
        "cat2": "",
        "cat3": "",
        "cat4": "",
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      "name": "en-suffix"
    }
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          ],
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            "referring to classes numbered 301, 302, 303, etc."
          ],
          "text": "I teach all of the 30x classes.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to represent a value that may vary: see x."
      ],
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        [
          "x",
          "x#English:_quantity"
        ]
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:value"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "-x"
}

{
  "etymology_number": "2",
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  "head_templates": [
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      "categories": [
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          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
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          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with collocations",
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          "source": "w"
        },
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          "_dis": "21 57 5 17",
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
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        },
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          "_dis": "9 23 1 6 11 11 5 26 7",
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              20,
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              37
            ],
            [
              52,
              53
            ],
            [
              67,
              68
            ],
            [
              82,
              83
            ],
            [
              97,
              98
            ],
            [
              113,
              114
            ],
            [
              130,
              131
            ],
            [
              146,
              147
            ],
            [
              162,
              163
            ],
            [
              178,
              179
            ],
            [
              196,
              197
            ]
          ],
          "tags": [
            "collocation"
          ],
          "text": "blax (“blacks”), clox (“clocks”), fax (“facts”), folx (“folks”), hax (“hacks”), pix (“pics”), punx (“punks”), shox (“shocks”), snax (“snacks”), sox (“socks”), stix (“sticks”), tix (“tickets”), trax (“tracks”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to replace a /ks/ sound, especially in monosyllabic words ending in -cks or -ks."
      ],
      "id": "en--x-en-suffix-en:ks_sound",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly US, informal) Used to replace a /ks/ sound, especially in monosyllabic words ending in -cks or -ks."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "-z"
        }
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:ks-sound"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "informal",
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ks/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-x"
}

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  "etymology_number": "3",
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "la",
        "2": "recipe"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin recipe",
      "name": "noncog"
    }
  ],
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    {
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        "2": "suffix",
        "cat2": "",
        "cat3": "",
        "cat4": "",
        "head": "",
        "id": ""
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      "expansion": "-x",
      "name": "en-suffix"
    }
  ],
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
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              1,
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              21,
              22
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              38,
              39
            ],
            [
              55,
              56
            ],
            [
              73,
              74
            ],
            [
              89,
              90
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Dx (“diagnosis”), elex (“election”), Hx (“history”), pax (“passenger”), RX (“receive”), TX (“transmit”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An abbreviation marker."
      ],
      "id": "en--x-en-suffix-en:abbreviation",
      "senseid": [
        "en:abbreviation"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "-x"
}

{
  "etymology_number": "4",
  "etymology_text": "From the use of x as a neutral or nonspecific placeholder.",
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    {
      "args": {
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        "2": "suffix",
        "cat2": "",
        "cat3": "",
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      },
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      "expansion": "-x",
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  ],
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
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    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English neologisms",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "0 0 0 100",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Gender",
          "orig": "en:Gender",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 26 13 38",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Non-binary",
          "orig": "en:Non-binary",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "alumnx, Chicanx, Latinx"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to replace a gendered suffix."
      ],
      "id": "en--x-en-suffix-en:gender_neutral",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(neologism) Used to replace a gendered suffix."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "x"
        }
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:gender-neutral"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme",
        "neologism"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "-x"
}
{
  "categories": [
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    "English lemmas",
    "English suffixes",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Gender",
    "en:Non-binary"
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  "lang_code": "en",
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            ]
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          "raw_tags": [
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          ],
          "text": "I teach all of the 30x classes.",
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        }
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        "Used to represent a value that may vary: see x."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
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          "x#English:_quantity"
        ]
      ],
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        "en:value"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "-x"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English suffixes",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Gender",
    "en:Non-binary"
  ],
  "etymology_number": "2",
  "etymology_text": "The letter x is prototypically pronounced [ks] in English; it therefore serves as a convenient shorthand for the digraphs (cs, ks, etc.) or trigraphs (cks etc.) that would otherwise represent that consonant cluster.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
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      "word": "-z"
    }
  ],
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              3,
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              20,
              21
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            ],
            [
              52,
              53
            ],
            [
              67,
              68
            ],
            [
              82,
              83
            ],
            [
              97,
              98
            ],
            [
              113,
              114
            ],
            [
              130,
              131
            ],
            [
              146,
              147
            ],
            [
              162,
              163
            ],
            [
              178,
              179
            ],
            [
              196,
              197
            ]
          ],
          "tags": [
            "collocation"
          ],
          "text": "blax (“blacks”), clox (“clocks”), fax (“facts”), folx (“folks”), hax (“hacks”), pix (“pics”), punx (“punks”), shox (“shocks”), snax (“snacks”), sox (“socks”), stix (“sticks”), tix (“tickets”), trax (“tracks”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used to replace a /ks/ sound, especially in monosyllabic words ending in -cks or -ks."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly US, informal) Used to replace a /ks/ sound, especially in monosyllabic words ending in -cks or -ks."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:ks-sound"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "informal",
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ks/"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-x"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English suffixes",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Gender",
    "en:Non-binary"
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  "etymology_number": "3",
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      "args": {
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        "2": "recipe"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin recipe",
      "name": "noncog"
    }
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    },
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  ],
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "suffix",
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      ],
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        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
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            ],
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              21,
              22
            ],
            [
              38,
              39
            ],
            [
              55,
              56
            ],
            [
              73,
              74
            ],
            [
              89,
              90
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Dx (“diagnosis”), elex (“election”), Hx (“history”), pax (“passenger”), RX (“receive”), TX (“transmit”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An abbreviation marker."
      ],
      "senseid": [
        "en:abbreviation"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "-x"
}

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  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English suffixes",
    "Pages with 6 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Gender",
    "en:Non-binary"
  ],
  "etymology_number": "4",
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    }
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      "categories": [
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      ],
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        {
          "text": "alumnx, Chicanx, Latinx"
        }
      ],
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        "Used to replace a gendered suffix."
      ],
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        "(neologism) Used to replace a gendered suffix."
      ],
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      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme",
        "neologism"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "-x"
}

Download raw JSONL data for -x meaning in English (4.3kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (ccec6f1 and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.