per Kay-Cee Gray--Xmas is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas. It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/. Xmas and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation /ˈkrɪsməs/. The -mas part is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass,[1] while the X comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Χριστός which comes into English as Christ.[2] There is a common misconception that the word Xmas stems from a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas[3] by taking the Christ out of Christmas, but its use dates back to the 16th century.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 19:56:07 +0000
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