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ArchivesRe: the X in X-mas
in reply to a message by Morgain
I got this off of Wikipedia:
The word "Christmas" is often abbreviated to "Xmas", the "X" being an uppercase Greek letter chi, which is the first letter of "Christos" in Greek. The abbreviation is widely but not universally accepted; some view it as demeaning to the name of Christ.
The word "Christmas" is often abbreviated to "Xmas", the "X" being an uppercase Greek letter chi, which is the first letter of "Christos" in Greek. The abbreviation is widely but not universally accepted; some view it as demeaning to the name of Christ.
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Yes, many might find this usage a gloss of the word 'Christ' or even slightly irreligious, but the root is the 'chi rho' in Greek characters. Many Catholics have seen the 'P' (rho) with the 'X' crossing it's stem, and don't know it's origin. This 'chi rho' is a simple icon for the name of Christ. The simplest form is just the 'X.' This indicates the 'CH' of the name/word 'Christ' and can frankly be considered a good abbrieviation.
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