plural of 'ex,' referring to former romantic partners, spouses, or people no longer in a particular role.
From the prefix 'ex-' (meaning 'former' or 'out of'), which comes from Latin. The abbreviation 'ex' became a standalone noun, probably in the early 20th century. The plural simply adds -es to make it plural, following English's standard rules.
The word 'ex' is a wonderfully modern linguistic creation—it lets us reduce complicated former relationships to a single syllable! Before the 20th century, people said 'my former husband,' but 'ex' lets us be casual and vague about people who were once central to our lives.
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