English Reference

Word

sussex

Phoneticssus·sex

/ˈsəsɪks/

Definitions

01a county in England

B2

n. a historic area in South East England, famous for its coastline and hills.

n. a historic county in South East England, currently divided into the administrative counties of East Sussex and West Sussex.

“We spent our summer holiday walking along the white cliffs in Sussex.”

“The historic county of Sussex is bordered by the English Channel to the south and Surrey to the north.”

02a breed of chicken

C2

n. a type of chicken from England that is kept for both its eggs and its meat.

n. a British breed of dual-purpose chicken, traditionally reared for both egg production and meat.

“The farmer kept a few Sussex chickens in the yard for fresh eggs.”

“The Speckled Sussex is a popular variety of the breed, valued by poultry enthusiasts for its distinctive plumage and reliable laying habits.”

Technical

Real-World Examples

“Southern England has faced the worst of the dry conditions with some areas, including the Sussex coast, receiving less than 0.2mm of rain in July.”
The Guardian · 14 Aug 2026

Etymology

Inherited from Old English Sūþseaxan (literally “South Saxons”), which stood for both Sussex and its people. The town in New Brunswick may have been named after Sussex, New Jersey. The civil parish is named after the town.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Frequent
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference