six meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

six

num

/sɪks/ · NZ /səks/

Etymology PIE word *swéḱs From Middle English six, from Old English six, from Proto-West Germanic *sehs, from Proto-Germanic *sehs, from Proto-Indo-European *swéḱs. Compare West Frisian seis, Dutch zes, Low German söss, sess, German sechs, Norwegian and Danish seks, also Latin sex, Ancient Greek ἕξ (héx), Sanskrit षष् (ṣaṣ). Doublet of sice. Toilet sense predates military usage.

A numerical value equal to 6; the number following five and preceding seven. This number of dots: (••••••).

Gunshots rang out in the capital Abuja and also in the neighboring Niger state as police lobbed tear gas to disperse defiant protesters. In Niger, at least six people are now feared dead, local media reported.2024 August 1, Nimi Princewill and Stephanie Busari, “Violence erupts as Nigerians protest hunger across the nation”, in CNN:

Derived terms: 99 terms
all sixes and nines, big six, deep-six, double-six, drive a coach and six through, eighty-six, five-six, grade six, half-past-six, have got someone's six, have someone's six, hit a six, hit it for six, hit on all six, it's better to be judged by twelve than to be carried by six, king of six, knock someone for six, Meal Team Six, nine-nine-six, number six, pick-six, pick six, Schläfli double six, six-ace flat, six and two threes, Six Bells, six bob a day tourist, Six Counties, six-coupled, sixel, sixer, Sixer, sixes and nines, six-figure, six figures, sixfold, six foot, six-footedness, six-footer, sixgill, six-gun, Six Hills, sixie, sixies, sixish, six-legged, six-leggedness, six-lined racerunner, sixling, six-man football, Six Mile, Six Mile Bottom, Six Mile Swamp, sixmo, sixmonth, six-month club, Six Nations of the Grand River, sixness, six o'clock swill, six of one, half a dozen of the other, six of the best, six-pack bezique, six-pack of rolls, sixpack, six-pack, six pack, sixpence, sixpenny, six-penny nail, six penny nail, six perfections, sixplex, six-pointer, six pointer, six-ring, sixscore, six senses, sixshooter, six-shooter, six-sided, six-square, six-stitcher, six-string, sixteen, sixth, six-thousander, six-top, sixty, six-water grog, six-way, six ways from Sunday, six ways till Sunday, six ways to Sunday, six-wheeler, sixxen, six-yard area, six-yard box, straight-six, this day six months
Related terms: sixth

six

noun

10 senses

1A group or set with six elements.
2The digit or figure 6.
3A playing card featuring six pips.
4A person who is six years old.
5Six o'clock.
6Rear, behind (rear side of something).
7An event whereby a batsman hits a ball which does not…
8A touchdown.
9A bathroom or toilet.
10Small beer sold at six shillings per barrel.

A group or set with six elements.

The digit or figure 6.

how about 100 then? for 100, I wanted to pay homage to the people who have been using seximal this entire time. specifically, I used the word for six sixes found in the Ndom language, "nif".(Can we date this quote?), jan Misali, “what to call the numbers”, in seximal.net:

Card games, Games A playing card featuring six pips.

A person who is six years old.

The fives and sixes will have a snack first, then the older kids.

Six o'clock.

In Austria the prisoners rise at five, [...]. There are morning prayers at a quarter to six, after which the prisoners are conducted to work.1838, Francis Bisset Hawkins, chapter XIII, in Germany: The Spirit of Her History, Literature, Social Condition and National Economy, Illustrated by Reference to Her Physical, Moral and Political Statistics, etc., →OCLC, page 228:

Government, Military, Politics, War Slang Rear, behind (rear side of something).

By ellipsis of six o'clock

cover my six
Just as having an enemy on your “six” is the hardest situation to escape, being on an enemy at six o'clock is the surest kill. Fighter pilots are always practicing maneuvers to get out from having another aircraft on their six.2009, Bill Yenne, Aces High: The Heroic Saga of the Two Top-scoring American Aces of World War II, Penguin, →ISBN, page 98:

Ball games, Cricket, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports An event whereby a batsman hits a ball which does not bounce before passing over a boundary in the air, resulting in an award of 6 runs for the batting team.

His century featured 12 sixes.
England required 15 from the last over of the regular match. Ben Stokes hit a six and benefited when a throw from the deep hit him and went for four overthrows.2019 July 14, Stephan Shemilt, “England win Cricket World Cup: Ben Stokes stars in dramatic finale against New Zealand”, in BBC Sport, London:

American football, Ball games, Football, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A touchdown.

North Wales A bathroom or toilet.

Obsolete Small beer sold at six shillings per barrel.

Derived terms: all sixes and sevens, at six and seven, at sixes and sevens, deep six, hit someone for six, long six, pick six, short six, six feet under
Related terms: 6, 陸, 陆, 六, Ⅵ, VI, στ΄, ϛ΄, Table of cardinal numbers 0 to 9 in various languages