-x meaning: definition, etymology

-x

suffix

Morpheme Used to represent a value that may vary: see x.

I teach all of the 30x classes.

-x

suffix

/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.

US, Informal, Morpheme Used to replace a /ks/ sound, especially in monosyllabic words ending in -cks or -ks.

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”)

Related terms: -z

-x

suffix

Morpheme An abbreviation marker.

Dx (“diagnosis”), elex (“election”), Hx (“history”), pax (“passenger”), RX (“receive”), TX (“transmit”)

-x

suffix

Etymology From the use of x as a neutral or nonspecific placeholder.

Morpheme, Neologism Used to replace a gendered suffix.

alumnx, Chicanx, Latinx

Related terms: x

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.