Essex

E1S1S1E1X8
US, UK/ˈɛs.ɪks/

proper noun

A maritime county of England bordered by the North Sea, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Greater London, and separated from Kent by the Thames estuary.

OriginOld English Ēastseaxan →
CommonScrabble 12
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A maritime county of England bordered by the North Sea, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Greater London, and separated from Kent by the Thames estuary.

    The father, from Essex, admitted a charge of causing death through a reckless, rash or dangerous act at a court in Paphos on Tuesday.

    2026 September 22, Shivani Chaudhari, “Father admits causing death of his son in hotel fall”, in BBC News, archived from the original on 22 Sep 2026, retrieved 22 Sep 2026
  2. A town in Essex County, Ontario, Canada.
  3. A number of places in the United States:
    1. A locality in Humboldt County, California.
    2. A small unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California.
    3. A town, village, and census-designated place in Middlesex County, Connecticut.
    4. A township and village therein, in Kankakee County, Illinois.
    5. A township in Stark County, Illinois.
    6. A city in Page County, Iowa.
    7. An unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland.
    8. A coastal town and census-designated place in Essex County, Massachusetts.
    9. A township in Clinton County, Michigan.
    10. A city in Stoddard County, Missouri.
    11. An unincorporated community in Flathead County, Montana.
    12. A town in Essex County, New York.
    13. An unincorporated community in Halifax County, North Carolina.
    14. An unincorporated community in Union County, Ohio.
    15. A large rural town in Chittenden County, Vermont.
  4. A surname.
  5. A unisex given name transferred from the place name.

    A divorce has been granted to Mrs. Essex Leila Hilary Drury, formerly Miss Essex French, on the ground of misconduct.

    1935 March 12, “Mrs. E. L. Drury Divorced […]”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC
    2 more examples

    Retired Army colonel Essex Moorcroft is going to war against the 50-penny piece. He said yesterday at his home in Rosset, Denbighshire: “It is an ugly coin and an insult to our Sovereign, whose image it bears.”

    1969 October 23, “‘Give the new 10s Coin a Chance’ Call”, in Daily Mirror, London: Daily Mirror Newspapers, →OCLC, page 32, columns 3–4

    The couple welcomed their second child, daughter Essex Reese Rosenbaum, on Friday, Nov. 4 in Miami, Florida, they confirm to PEOPLE exclusively.

    2016 November 30, Aili Nahas, Jen Juneau, “J.P. and Ashley Hebert Rosenbaum Welcome Daughter Essex Reese”, in People, New York, N.Y.: Meredith Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Oct 2018

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
heckfordnorth weald

Origin

  1. Old EnglishĒastseaxan
  2. EnglishEssex

Inherited from Old English Ēastseaxan (literally “East Saxons”), which stood for both Essex and the people of Essex.

More words from Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch Essex
  • Essexmaritime county of England
French Essex
  • Essexmaritime county of England
German Essex
  • Essexmaritime county of England
Greek Έσσεξ
  • Έσσεξ (Éssex)maritime county of England
Norwegian Bokmål Essex, Essex
  • Essexmaritime county of England
  • Essextown in Ontario, Canada
  • Essexlocality in Humboldt County, California
  • Essextown in Middlesex County, Connecticut
  • Essexvillage in Kankakee County, Illinous
  • Essexcity in Page County, Iowa
  • Essexunincorporated community in Baltimore County, Maryland
  • Essexcity in Stoddard County, Missouri
  • Essexunincorporated community in Flathead County, Montana
  • Essexunincorporated community in Halifax County, North Carolina
  • Essexunincorporated community in Union County, Ohio
  • Essexlarge town in Chittenden County, Vermont
Polish Essex
  • Essexmaritime county of England
Romanian Essex
  • Essexmaritime county of England
Russian Э́ссекс
  • Э́ссекс (Ésseks)maritime county of England

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with Essex

Wessex
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

Essex. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Essex

MLA

“Essex.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Essex. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Essex,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Essex.

Source: Essex on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.