Sex noun [ Latin sexus : confer French sexe .]
1. The distinguishing peculiarity of male or female in both animals and plants; the physical difference between male and female; the assemblage of properties or qualities by which male is distinguished from female.

2. One of the two divisions of organic beings formed on the distinction of male and female.

3. (Botany) (a) The capability in plants of fertilizing or of being fertilized; as, staminate and pistillate flowers are of opposite sexes . (b) One of the groups founded on this distinction.

The sex , the female sex; women, in general.

Sex- [ Latin sex six. See Six .] A combining form meaning six ; as, sex digitism; sex ennial.

Sexagenarian noun [ See Sexagenary .] A person who is sixty years old.

Sexagenary adjective [ Latin sexagenarius , from sexageni sixty each, akin to sexaginta sixty, sex six: confer sexagénaire . See Six .] Pertaining to, or designating, the number sixty; poceeding by sixties; sixty years old.

Sexagenary arithmetic . See under Sexagesimal . -- Sexagenary , or Sexagesimal , scale (Math.) , a scale of numbers in which the modulus is sixty. It is used in treating the divisions of the circle.

Sexagenary noun
1. Something composed of sixty parts or divisions.

2. A sexagenarian. Sir W. Scott.

Sexagesima noun [ Latin , fem. of sexagesimus sixtieth, from sexaginta sixty.] (Eccl.) The second Sunday before Lent; -- so called as being about the sixtieth day before Easter.

Sexagesimal adjective [ Confer French sexagésimal .] Pertaining to, or founded on, the number sixty.

Sexagesimal fractions or numbers (Arith. & Alg.) , those fractions whose denominators are some power of sixty; as, &frac1x60;, &frac1x3600;, &frac1x216000;; -- called also astronomical fractions , because formerly there were no others used in astronomical calculations. -- Sexagesimal , or Sexagenary , arithmetic , the method of computing by the sexagenary scale, or by sixties. -- Sexagesimal scale (Math.) , the sexagenary scale.

Sexagesimal noun A sexagesimal fraction.

Sexangle noun [ Latin sexangulus sexangular; sex six + angulus angle: confer French sexangle . Confer Hexangular .] (Geom.) A hexagon. [ R.] Hutton.

Sexangled, Sexangular adjective [ Confer French sexangulaire .] Having six angles; hexagonal. [ R.] Dryden.

Sexangularly adverb Hexagonally. [ R.]

Sexavalent adjective See Sexivalent . [ R.]

Sexdigitism noun [ Sex- + digit .] The state of having six fingers on a hand, or six toes on a foot.

Sexdigitist noun One who has six fingers on a hand, or six toes on a foot.

Sexed adjective Belonging to sex; having sex; distinctively male of female; as, the sexed condition.

Sexenary adjective Proceeding by sixes; sextuple; -- applied especially to a system of arithmetical computation in which the base is six.

Sexennial adjective [ Latin sexennium a period of six years, sexennis of six years; sex six + annus a year. See Six , and Annual .] Lasting six years, or happening once in six years. -- noun A sexennial event.

Sexennially adverb Once in six years.

Sexfid, Sexifid adjective [ Sex- + root of Latin findere to split: confer French sexfide .] (Botany) Six-cleft; as, a sexfid calyx or nectary.

Sexisyllabic adjective [ Sex- + syllabic .] Having six syllables. Emerson.

Sexisyllable noun [ Sex- + syllable .] A word of six syllables.

Sexivalent adjective [ Sex- + Latin valens , present participle See Valence .] (hem.) Hexavalent. [ R.]

Sexless adjective Having no sex.

Sexlocular adjective [ Sex- + locular : confer French sexloculaire .] (Botany) Having six cells for seeds; six-celled; as, a sexlocular pericarp.

Sexly adjective Pertaining to sex. [ R.]

Should I ascribe any of these things unto myself or my sexly weakness, I were not worthy to live.

Queen Elizabeth.

Sexradiate adjective [ Sex- + radiate .] (Zoology) Having six rays; -- said of certain sponge spicules. See Illust. of Spicule .

Sext noun [ Latin sexta , fem. of sextus sixtt, from sex six: confer French sexte .] (R.C.Ch.) (a) The office for the sixth canonical hour, being a part of the Breviary. (b) The sixth book of the decretals, added by Pope Boniface VIII.

Sextain noun [ Latin sextus sixth, from sex six: confer Italian sestina .] (Pros.) A stanza of six lines; a sestine.

Sextans noun [ Latin See Sextant .]
1. (Rom. Antiq.) A Roman coin, the sixth part of an as.

2. (Astron.) A constellation on the equator south of Leo; the Sextant.

Sextant noun [ Latin sextans , -antis , the sixth part of an as, from sextus sixth, sex six. See Six .]
1. (Math.) The sixth part of a circle.

2. An instrument for measuring angular distances between objects, -- used esp. at sea, for ascertaining the latitude and longitude. It is constructed on the same optical principle as Hadley's quadrant, but usually of metal, with a nicer graduation, telescopic sight, and its arc the sixth, and sometimes the third, part of a circle. See Quadrant .

3. (Astron.) The constellation Sextans.

Box sextant , a small sextant inclosed in a cylindrical case to make it more portable.

Sextary noun ; plural Sextaries . [ Latin sextarius the sixth part of a measure, weight, etc., from sextus sixth, sex six.] (Rom. Antiq.) An ancient Roman liquid and dry measure, about equal to an English pint.

Sextary noun [ For sextonry .] A sacristy. [ Obsolete]

Sextet, Sextetto noun (Mus.) See Sestet .

Sexteyn noun A sacristan. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Sextic adjective [ Latin sextus sixth.] (Math.) Of the sixth degree or order. -- noun (Alg.) A quantic of the sixth degree.

Sextile adjective [ French sextil , from Latin sextus the sixth, from sex six. See Six .] (Astrol.) Measured by sixty degrees; fixed or indicated by a distance of sixty degrees. Glanvill.

Sextile noun [ Confer F. aspect sextil .] (Astrol.) The aspect or position of two planets when distant from each other sixty degrees, or two signs. This position is marked thus: &8star;. Hutton.

Sextillion noun [ Formed (in imitation of million ) from Latin sextus sixth, sex six: confer French sextilion .] According to the method of numeration (which is followed also in the United States), the number expressed by a unit with twenty-one ciphers annexed. According to the English method, a million raised to the sixth power, or the number expressed by a unit with thirty-six ciphers annexed. See Numeration .

Sexto noun ; plural Sextos . [ Latin sextus sixth.] A book consisting of sheets each of which is folded into six leaves.

Sextodecimo adjective [ Latin sextus- decimus the sixteenth; sextus the sixth (fr. sex six) + decimus the tenth, from decem ten. See - mo .] Having sixteen leaves to a sheet; of, or equal to, the size of one fold of a sheet of printing paper when folded so as to make sixteen leaves, or thirty-two pages; as, a sextodecimo volume.

Sextodecimo noun ; plural Sextodecimos A book composed of sheets each of which is folded into sixteen leaves; hence, indicating, more or less definitely, a size of a book; -- usually written 16mo, or 16°.

Sextolet noun (Mus.) A double triplet; a group of six equal notes played in the time of four.

Sexton noun [ Middle English sextein , contr. from sacristan .] An under officer of a church, whose business is to take care of the church building and the vessels, vestments, etc., belonging to the church, to attend on the officiating clergyman, and to perform other duties pertaining to the church, such as to dig graves, ring the bell, etc.

Sexton beetle (Zoology) , a burying beetle.

Sextoness noun A female sexton; a sexton's wife.

Sextonry noun Sextonship. [ Obsolete] Ld. Bernes.

Sextonship noun The office of a sexton. Swift.

Sextry noun See Sacristy . [ Obsolete]

Sextuple adjective [ Formed (in imitation of quadruple ) from Latin sextus sixth: confer French sextuple .]
1. Six times as much; sixfold.

2. (Mus.) Divisible by six; having six beats; as, sixtuple measure.

Sexual adjective [ Latin sexualis , from sexus sex: confer French sexuel .] Of or pertaining to sex, or the sexes; distinguishing sex; peculiar to the distinction and office of male or female; relating to the distinctive genital organs of the sexes; proceeding from, or based upon, sex; as, sexual characteristics; sexual intercourse, connection, or commerce; sexual desire; sexual diseases; sexual generation.

Sexual dimorphism (Biol.) , the condition of having one of the sexes existing in two forms, or varieties, differing in color, size, etc., as in many species of butterflies which have two kinds of females. -- Sexual method (Botany) , a method of classification proposed by Linnæus, founded mainly on difference in number and position of the stamens and pistils of plants. -- Sexual selection (Biol.) , the selective preference of one sex for certain characteristics in the other, such as bright colors, musical notes, etc.; also, the selection which results from certain individuals of one sex having more opportunities of pairing with the other sex, on account of greater activity, strength, courage, etc.; applied likewise to that kind of evolution which results from such sexual preferences. Darwin.

In these cases, therefore, natural selection seems to have acted independently of sexual selection .

A. R. Wallace.

Sexualist noun (Botany) One who classifies plants by the sexual method of Linnæus.