Curious thing I noticed recently
In the duolingo discussions, I often come along the word Xmas, probably written instead of christmas. Could an explaination be added? Thanks.
6 Comments
It is shorthand - X as a substitute for the word “Christ” - stems from Greek lettering. Although it dates back to the Renaissance in use, it continues to be popular. It’s super common in the USA.
Yes, it is a common abbreviation for Christmas. Some people find it offensive because it crosses out the word Christ others say it's from the Greek word for Christ Χριστός. It's been used for hundreds of years.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Xmas http://www.dictionary.com/e/xmas-christogram/
Thanks, Jaye16! This was exactly what I was thinking about to. Many thanks
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As far as I understand, Xmas is a common colloquial (casual) spelling of Christmas. Maybe some kind of text message or chat convention originally, but I'm not sure about this part.
