# "sex" city? (no adult content)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-city-no-adult-content/52232>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 29, 2001, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-city-no-adult-content/52232 "2001-01-29T06:57:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sethdallob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@sethdallob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sethdallob)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-city-no-adult-content/52232/1 "2001-01-29T06:57:14Z")

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Essex = East  
Wessex = West  
Sussex = South

Is there a “Norsex”? How did these names come about? I know that these towns are older than the stuff growing in the back of my fridge…and probably before “sex” had the connotation it does today. Was there a “sex” city in the middle?

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**Author:** ![dylan\_73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dylan\_73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylan_73)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-city-no-adult-content/52232/2 "2001-01-29T11:46:54Z")

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From [http://www.takeourword.com](http://www.takeourword.com) we get:

> [@](#):
>
> - 
> 
> I am interested in the set of [placenames]ending in -sex, i.e. Essex, Wessex, Middlesex, etc.  
> \*  
> The -sex affix on the placenames in England which you mention refers to the Saxons. Hence, Essex was originally the `territory of the East Saxons' (from 9th century East Seaxe `East Saxons’); Wessex was originally West Seaxe `West Saxons;' and Middlesex, in the 6th century, was Middelseaxan, `middle Saxons.’

Curiously, searching on Yahoo gave **69** hits.

Coincidence? 🙂