sex (Latin)

Where does "sex" come from?

The word for the number six traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root *swéḱs. It evolved into the Proto-Italic *seks, which eventually became the Latin sex. This ancient numerical concept remains recognizable across languages today, sharing deep roots with Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, and the English word six.

Full etymology tree

• sex (Latin), 'six; 6'
  • inherited *séḱs (Proto-Italic), 'six'
    • inherited *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European), 'six'
      • derived *wéḱs (Proto-Indo-European)
      • affix s- (Proto-Indo-European)

Ancestors

• *seks (Proto-Italic)
• *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European)

Cognates and doublets

• ἕξ (Ancient Greek)
• six (English)
• վեց (Old Armenian)
• six (Old English)
• षष् (Sanskrit)

Updated July 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris