essex

IPA/ˈes.ɪks/
KK[ˈɛsɪks]IPA/ˈes.ɪks/

essex — noun

1. a county in eastern England, located northeast of London, with countryside areas

1.nounB1
Definition

a county in eastern England, located northeast of London, with countryside areas, seaside towns, and commuter communities.

Example

Liang's family moved to Essex for cheaper housing and an easier trip to London.

moved to [place] for [reason]

The commuter train from Liverpool Street station reaches the Essex suburbs in forty minutes.

commuter train from [station] reaches [place]

Common collocations
  • Essex coast
  • Essex countryside
  • Essex county
  • in Essex
  • from Essex

Usage Note

This is the usual sense for everyday references to the modern county northeast of London. For historical references to the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, see the geographical name entry.

essex — biographical name

essex — geographical name

Word family

  • Essexian
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: geographical name/1

These five names all refer to Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of early medieval England whose names survive as modern counties or regions. Essex (East Saxons), Wessex (West Saxons), Sussex (South Saxons), and Middlesex (Middle Saxons) all share the '-sex' suffix from Old English 'Seaxe', meaning 'Saxons'. Kent, by contrast, derives from the Celtic tribe 'Cantiaci' and was never a Saxon kingdom. Wessex is by far the most historically prominent — it produced King Alfred the Great and later united England. Sussex and Middlesex were smaller kingdoms that faded early; Kent was the first kingdom to convert to Christianity. Today, these names remain in common use as place names: 'a holiday cottage in Sussex', 'the Wessex region of southwest England', 'Essex commuter towns', 'Kentish orchards'. For learners visiting the UK, recognising these names helps decode English geography and history.

Essex ↗WessexSussex ↗MiddlesexKent ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Essex coast
  • Essex countryside
  • Essex county
  • kingdom of Essex
  • Earl of Essex

Phrases

  • Essex County Council
  • the county of Essex

Prepositions

  • in Essex
  • to Essex
  • from Essex
  • of Essex

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The name 'Essex' comes from Old English 'Ēastseaxe', meaning 'East Saxons' — the Germanic tribe that settled in this part of Britain during the 5th and 6th centuries. The region was one of the seven kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon heptarchy. The neighbouring kingdoms of Wessex (West Saxons), Sussex (South Saxons), and Middlesex (Middle Saxons) follow the same naming pattern, with '-sex' derived from 'Seaxe' (Saxons). The modern county retains the ancient name.