From: Shanna Hollich
Subject: Re: X in Christmas? *OT*
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

Here, from the Learning Kingdom's Cool Word of the Day
from 12/24/98, is the meaning and origin of the word
Xmas. I think some of you may be surprised. (This is
also available on the web at:
http://www.cool-word.com/archive/1998/12/24.html )

Xmas [n. KRIS-mus / EKS-mus]


This abbreviation for the word Christmas is often
viewed as a modern commercial shorthand, but has
actually been in use for hundreds of years in
religious writing.

Xmas makes use of an old abbreviation for Christ. His
name in Greek begins with the letter chi, which looks
like an X, and his name has long been abbreviated as
X. Using the same shorthand, the word Xmas was
recorded in print as early as 1555.

What is the correct way to say the word? The similar
abbreviation Xtian (for Christian) is pronounced
[KRIS-chun], so Xmas should correctly be pronounced
[KRIS-mus]. But today, X is now often seen as a
detached letter, or as a mathematical term, so many
people pronounce Xmas [EKS-mus].




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Shanna Hollich - Shadow123-at-poe.org
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