What does "unix" mean?

Any of the above plus Unix-like operating systems similar to Unix but not qualifying for use of the UNIX trademark.

What is a synonym for "unix"?

Common synonyms include: unix operating system, unix system.

Unix

//ˈjuː.nɪks// name, noun, slang

name, noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1
Any of the above plus Unix-like operating systems similar to Unix but not qualifying for use of the UNIX trademark. informal
"GNU is not Unix."
2
Alternative form of Unix. alt-of, alternative
3
trademark for a powerful operating system wordnet

Proper Noun

1
An operating system that shares the original source code by Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson.
2
Alternative letter-case form of Unix. alt-of
"The successful candidate will have a BS in Computer Science (MS preferred) and 4–7 years experience with the UNIX development environment using high level tools which UNIX provides."
3
An operating system largely compatible with Unix that qualifies for use of the UNIX trademark, currently owned by The Open Group.

Synonyms

All synonyms

unix operating system unix system

Example

More examples

"There is a saying, that "Those who don't understand UNIX are condemned to reinvent it, poorly". If one looks at the Linux desktop, one will realise, that it's also true for desktop operating systems."

Etymology

Etymology tree English Multics ▲ English eunuchinflu. English Unix A pun on Multics to sound like eunuchs, as Unix was considered to be an emasculated Multics (see multi- and uni-). Likely coined by Canadian computer scientist Brian Kernighan in 1970.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.