Ex
ˈɛks
Definitions
2 meaningsA person who was formerly married to someone or in a romantic relationship with someone.
ˈɛks
A former spouse or partner.
My ex and I share custody of the dog.
💡 Simply: Your ex is someone you used to be in a relationship with. Like, if you broke up with someone, they become your ex. It's kinda like a game over for your love life with that person.
👶 For kids: An "ex" is someone you used to be a friend with or married to, but not anymore.
More Examples
He is still bitter about his ex.
She ran into her ex at the grocery store.
How It's Used
"She's still friends with her ex."
"The court ordered the ex to pay alimony."
An abbreviation for a word or phrase.
ˈɛks
A short form for various prefixes.
Ex. is often used before an example.
💡 Simply: Sometimes, when you're writing, you don't want to write a whole big word. Instead, you use the abbreviation for something else.
👶 For kids: Sometimes, when you write words, you make them shorter! "Ex" is one way of shortening a word.
More Examples
The prefix 'ex-' means 'out of'.
How It's Used
"The 'ex-' prefix means 'out of'."
"Ex. is often used for 'example'."
Idioms & expressions
Ex post facto
Done or made after something else has happened; retroactive.
"The law was ruled unconstitutional because it was ex post facto, applying to actions committed before the law was passed."
From Latin, originally an abbreviation. It's a short form used to represent various prefixes (e.g., 'ex-' meaning 'out of', 'from', 'former').
The use of 'ex' as an abbreviation for 'example' or other prefixes like 'ex-' (out of, from) has been present for many centuries, especially in written formats. The usage has evolved over time.