If you have ever heard the word “hex” you may know it to have several different definitions. It can refer to a shape (e.g., hexagon) or be used in the contexts of witchcraft, serving as either a verb or noun. While you may be familiar with the term you may not have considered where it came from. This is something that I recognized while considering the word in various contexts, leading me to learn more about its origins and changing meaning over time. This blog post will explore these topics and address how and why the meaning changed.
As previously mentioned the word “hex” can be a noun or a verb. One can put a hex on someone (noun), or they can hex someone (verb). Both reference similar meanings. As a noun the word hex refers to a negative spell cast upon someone, whereas as a verb it means to bewitch. The word itself comes from the German words for witch or witchcraft, hexe and hexen respectively, but it morphed into the simplified hex when German immigrants began settling the Pennsylvania countryside. Known today as the Pennsylvania Dutch (a mispronunciation of Deutsch, the German word for this group) the change in the pronunciation of hexe or hexen to simply hex demonstrates an anglicization of various non-English words, to which hex is just one.
But what brought about the incorporation of this word into the English language? It actually derives from the early 1800s when the German immigrants/Pennsylvania Dutch settled the region. As they built their homes and established their farms they painted a variety of symbols onto their barns. These symbols ranged from hearts, circles, flowers, fictional animals, and stars. It is unclear what led them to paint these symbols. There are hypotheses that these were simply aesthetic works meant to decorate the barns, while others believe that these symbols had specific folk meaning associated with them and were painted to encourage good luck to the farm and land owners (e.g., prosperity, bountiful harvests, protection, etc.). This led to them being called “hex signs”, and the folk meanings were eventually morphed into a type of folk magic. Due to changing views of the German immigrants these symbols and the word hex became associated with witchcraft, leading to the formal recognition of the word hex referencing witchcraft in 1909. This was further reinforced when local business people and tourism leaders capitalized on this idea to draw in visitors to the area, who were lured in by the notions of haunted tourism.
Ultimately, the phrase hex demonstrates a lot of cultural meaning and history. It shows how language changes as groups come into contact with each other and how meanings change as those social relations either improve or sour. This leaves us with the word as it exists today: a noun, verb, or adjective that strikes awe or fear into those who hear it, be it representing witchcraft or geometric shape.
Bibliography
Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of hex.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/hex. Accessed 10 June, 2022.
Tuel, Brenna. Symbols of Blood and Soil: Identity Construction and the Hex Signs of the Pennsylvania Germans. Montreal: Concordia University, 2019. Print.
Vocabulary.com. Vocabulary.com. 2022. Electronic. 10 June 2022.
4 comments:
I never really paid attention to the fact that the word hex has so many different meanings. The word hex comes from German words, it was used for witchcraft. The other meaning comes from farmers who were painting barns. And painting the barn meant for good luck to the farmers.
By Kerriauna Johnson
I never knew that the word “hex” was used for witchcraft. I only ever knew the word as “hexagon”. I also learned that the word “hex” is a german word that was used to describe a witch. The word “hex” came to America with the Germans which I found very interesting.
Christa white
The post highlights the term's intriguing journey through language and cultural history as it evolved from its roots in German witchcraft to its anglicized version and subsequent relationship with folk symbols. The story of how 'hex' evolved from its roots in negative spellcasting to being linked to protective marks on barns, finally garnering notoriety and even becoming a tourist attraction, is fascinating. The history of the word "hex" shows how language, culture, and society perspectives are intertwined and how words may have several layers of meaning that are influenced by social dynamics and historical context.
The exploration of the word “hex” and its evolution in meaning over time is a fascinating journey into linguistic history Because when I first thought of the word hex I thought of a witch or a wizard casting a spell on someone with black magic and really reading into the background of the word was interesting to me.
-Ahmesha Johnson
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