http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas
Usage of X for Christ in ancient languages <dl><dd>
For the article about the "ΧΡ" symbol see Chi Rho.</dd></dl> The word "
Christ" and its compounds, including "Christmas", have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern "Xmas" was commonly used. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references in the
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as AD 1021. This X and P arose as the
uppercase forms of the
Greek letters χ and
ρ used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"), and are still widely seen in many
Eastern Orthodox icons depicting
Jesus Christ. The
labarum, an amalgamation of the two Greek letters rendered as
☧, is a symbol often used to represent Christ in
Catholic,
Protestant, and
Orthodox Christian Churches.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference">
[8]</sup>
The
labarum, often called the Chi-Rho, is a
Christian symbol representing
Christ.
The occasionally held belief that the "X" represents the
cross on which Christ was crucified also has no basis in fact.
Saint Andrew's
Cross is X-shaped, but Christ's cross was probably shaped like a T or a ?. Indeed, X-as-chi was associated with Christ long before X-as-cross could be, since the cross as a Christian symbol developed later. (The Greek letter Chi Χ stood for "Christ" in the ancient Greek
acrostic ΙΧΘΥΣ
ichthys.) While some see the spelling of Christmas as Xmas a threat, others see it as a way to honor the martyrs. The use of
X as an abbreviation for "cross" in modern abbreviated writing (e.g. "
King's X" for "
King's Cross") may have reinforced this assumption.
In ancient Christian art, χ and χρ are abbreviations for Christ's name.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference">
[9]</sup> In many manuscripts of the New Testament and
icons, X is an abbreviation for Christos, as is XC (the first and last letters in Greek, using the lunate
sigma); compare IC for
Jesus in Greek.
[edit] Usage in English
The Oxford English Dictionary and OED Supplement have cited usages of "X-" or "Xp-" for "Christ-" in 1485 ("Xpian"), 1598 ("Xpian"), and "Xtian" in 1845, 1915 and 1940. It cites "Xtianity" usage in 1634, 1811 and 1966. "Most of the evidence for these words comes from educated Englishmen who knew their Greek," according to
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, referring to the OED citations.<sup id="cite_ref-mwdeu_9-0" class="reference">
[10]</sup>
In the United Kingdom and among the English, use of "Xmas" is found in a letter from January 13, 1753 (George Woodward to George London: "I find by ye News
apers that several People have shewed a great Aversion to ye
Alteration of ye Style; particularly with regard to ye Observation of Xmas Day").<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference">
[11]</sup>
Lord Byron used the term in 1811 ("If you won't come here before Xmas, [...]", letter, September 9, 1811).<sup id="cite_ref-mwdeu_9-1" class="reference">
[10]</sup>
Samuel Coleridge used it ("On Xmas Day I breakfasted with Davy", 1801)<sup id="cite_ref-bbc04_2-2" class="reference">
[3]</sup> as did
Lewis Carroll ("[...] which I hope to get published before Xmas", letter, June 10, 1864). In the United States,
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. also wrote it ("I expect about Xmas a visit", October 11, 1923).<sup id="cite_ref-mwdeu_9-2" class="reference">
[10]</sup>
Since at least the late 19th century, "Xmas" has been in use in various other English-language nations. Quotations with the word can be found in texts written in Canada,<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference">
[12]</sup> and the word has been used in Australia,<sup id="cite_ref-ppcgaeu_4-1" class="reference">
[5]</sup> and in the Caribbean<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference">
[13]</sup>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage stated that modern use of the term is largely limited to advertisements, headlines and banners, where its conciseness is valued. The association with commerce "has done nothing for its reputation", according to the dictionary.<sup id="cite_ref-mwdeu_9-3" class="reference">
[10]</sup>
[edit] Other uses of "X" for "Chris-"
The proper names containing the name "Christ" other than aforementioned are rarely abbreviated in this way (e.g.
Hayden Xensen for the actor name "
Hayden Christensen"). This apparent usage of "X" to spell the syllable "kris" (rather than the sounds "ks") has extended to "xtal" for "
crystal", "Xtine" for "
Christine" and on
florists' signs "xant" for "
chrysanthemum"<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference">
[14]</sup> (though these words are not etymologically related to "Christ": "crystal" comes from a Greek word meaning "ice", and "chrysanthemum" comes from Greek words meaning "golden flower", while "Christ" comes from a Greek word meaning "anointed").
In the 17th and 18th Centuries, "Xene" and "Exene" were common spellings of the given name Christene.
Christina Aguilera has at times gone by the name Xtina (the "t" should not be considered redundant as, as is noted above, "Christ" was often shortened historically to "Xt" not just X).<sup class="noprint Template-Fact" title="This claim needs references to reliable sources from December 2008" style="white-space: nowrap;"></sup>
