Where does “ex” come from?

ex (Middle English) comes from Old English æx, from Old English æces, from Proto-West Germanic akusi, from Proto-Germanic akwisī, from Proto-Indo-European h₂egʷs-ih₂-, from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- — sharp.

ex (Middle English): Alternative form of ax

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of ax

Ancestry of “ex”, step by step

ex traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English æx

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishæxan axe, used as a weapon or cutting-tool
2Old Englishæces—
3Proto-West Germanicakusiaxe
4Proto-Germanicakwisīaxe
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂egʷs-ih₂-axe
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eḱ-sharp

via Middle English ax

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishaxAn axe; An axle, axletree, pole
2Old Englisheaxaxis, axle
3Proto-Germanicahsōaxle
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eḱs-axis, axle
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂eǵ-to drive

Words derived from “ex”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂eḱ- →