Etymograph

English

hext

Hext comes from Old English hīehst ‘highest’, from hēah ‘high’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kewk- ‘to elevate’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kewk-1‘to elevate’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kówk-o-s1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hauhaz2‘high’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hauh2‘high’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150hēah3‘high’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150hīehst3‘highest’superlative of hēah
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hexte3
  8. Englishtodayhext3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hauhaz
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English heah
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English hext

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kewk-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hauhaz‘to elevate’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kówk-o-sWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hauhazreconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hauhazWiktionary, Old English heah‘high’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hauhWiktionary, Old English heah‘high’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150hēahWiktionary, English hext‘high’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150hīehstWiktionary, English hext‘highest’superlative of hēah
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hexteWiktionary, English hext
  8. EnglishtodayhextWiktionary, English hext

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kewk- ‘to elevate’

huge, haughty, 4 more

through Proto-Germanic *hauhaz ‘high’

height, 3 more

through Proto-West Germanic *hauh ‘high’

highly, 1 more

through Old English hēah ‘high’

high, 1 more

Today it means

adj Highest.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “hext”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *hauhaz, Old English heah. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kewk- / hext

Shirt and support for this word