Xmas атауының тарихы мен мағынасы

Common abbreviation of the word "Christmas"
the abbreviation

Xmas (also X mas) is a common abbreviation of the word Christmas. It is sometimes pronounced '/ɛ//k//s//m//ə//s/, but Xmas, and variants such as Xtemass, originated as handwriting abbreviations for the typical pronunciation '/k//r//ɪ//s//m//ə//s/. The 'X' comes from the Greek letter [[Chi (letter), which is the first letter of the Greek word Christós (Χριστός (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 of 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 c. 1755). An earlier version, X'temmas, dates to 1551. Lord Byron used the term in 1811, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. used the term in a letter dated 1923. and the word has been used in Australia, Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage stated that modern use of the term is largely limited to advertisements, headlines and banners, where its conciseness is valued. The association with commerce "has done nothing for its reputation", according to the dictionary.

Other proper names containing the name 'Christ' besides those mentioned above are sometimes abbreviated similarly, either as X or Xt, both of which have been used historically, e. g., Xtopher or Xopher for 'Christopher', or Xtina or Xina for the name 'Christina'. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Xene and Exene were common spellings for the given name 'Christine'. The American singer Christina Aguilera has sometimes gone by the name "Xtina". Similarly, Exene Cervenka has been a noted American singer songwriter since 1977. This usage of 'X' to spell the syllable kris (rather than the sounds ks) has extended to xtal for 'crystal', and on florists' signs to xant for 'chrysanthemum', even though these words are not etymologically related to Christ: crystal comes from a Greek word meaning 'ice' (and not even using the letter χ), and chrysanthemum comes from Greek words meaning 'golden flower', while Christ comes from a Greek word meaning 'anointed'.

In the animated TV series Futurama, Christmas is referred to just as "Xmas", in speech and writing.