Xmas

Xmas (also X-mas) is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas. It is sometimes pronounced ˈɛksməs, but Xmas, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation ˈkrɪsməs. The 'X' comes from the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Christós (Khristós), which became Christ in English. The suffix -mas is from the Latin-derived Old English word for Mass. There is a common misconception that the word Xmas stems from a secularizing tendency to de-emphasize the religious tradition from Christmas, by "taking the Christ out of Christmas"; nevertheless, the term's usage dates back to the 16th century, and corresponds to Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Church of England, and Episcopalian liturgical use of various forms of chi-rho monogram. In English, "X" was first used as a scribal abbreviation for "Christ" in 1100; "X'temmas" is attested in 1551, and "Xmas" in 1721. The term Xmas is deprecated by some modern style guides, including those at the New York Times, The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, The Times, The Guardian, and the BBC. Millicent Fenwick, in the 1948 Vogue's Book of Etiquette, states that "'Xmas' should never be used" in greeting cards. The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage states that the spelling should be considered informal and restricted to contexts where concision is valued, such as headlines and greeting cards. The Christian Writer's Manual of Style, while acknowledging the ancient and respectful use of Xmas in the past, states that the spelling should never be used in formal writing. Early use of Xmas includes Bernard Ward's History of St. Edmund's college, Old Hall (originally published 1755). An earlier version, X'temmas, dates to 1551. Around 1100 the term was written as Xp̄es mæsse in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Xmas is found in a letter from George Woodward in 1753. Lord Byron used the term in 1811, as did Samuel Coleridge (1801) and Lewis Carroll (1864).