Six Meaning
/sɪks/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
numA numerical value equal to 6; the number following five and preceding seven. This number of dots: (••••••).
nounA group or set with six elements.
Sentence Examples
You have to leave home at six.
Six percent home loans represent the industry average now.
They have two children aged six and nine.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The recipe requires exactly ____ eggs, which is precisely half a dozen.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There are exactly ____ students waiting in line for the morning bus.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
"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:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The recipe requires exactly ____ eggs, which is precisely half a dozen.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
There are exactly ____ students waiting in line for the morning bus.