Etymograph

English

kex

Kex comes from Middle English kex ‘any dried stem of a plant with a hollow interior’.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500kex‘any dried stem of a plant with a hollow interior’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1891same form

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500kex‘any dried stem of a plant with a hollow interior’
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1891same form

Earliest quotation: 1891, Thomas Hardy: “I suppose you'll want a dish o' tay, or…”

The story

Origin unknown; but compare Welsh cecys (‘hollow stalks’) and Welsh cegid (‘hemlock’), apparently from the same source as Latin cicūta (‘hemlock’).uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Every English word from Middle English kex

Today it means

noun The dried stem of certain large herbaceous plants.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Middle English kex / kex

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