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 The Question:
I am wondering what the X in Xmas means? Why is Christmas
abbreviated this way?
The Answer:
Contrary to popular belief, the X is not a euphemism to make the
holiday seem culturally neutral. The Greek word for Christ is
Χριστος. The first letter, a chi, looks like the English X.
X has accordingly been used as an abbreviation for Christ for
centuries. Xmas, like Christmas, thus literally means "Christ's
mass."
—The Editors Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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