Word
xmas
Phoneticsxmas
Definition
n. Stands for Christmas. You use this informal spelling to refer to the holiday on December 25th.
n. Abbreviation for Christmas. Used as a proper noun to denote the Christian festival or the associated secular holiday period.
Examples
“We are going to visit my parents this Xmas.”
“The shop window was decorated with bright lights and a sign wishing everyone a merry Xmas.”
“While some purists dislike the abbreviation, Xmas has been used in written English for centuries as a convenient shorthand in both commercial and personal correspondence.”
Examples
simple
“We are going to visit my parents this Xmas.”
contextual
“The shop window was decorated with bright lights and a sign wishing everyone a merry Xmas.”
complex
“While some purists dislike the abbreviation, Xmas has been used in written English for centuries as a convenient shorthand in both commercial and personal correspondence.”
Usage
Usually capitalized, though lowercase 'xmas' appears in very casual digital writing.
Teaching tip
Some people find this abbreviation disrespectful because it removes 'Christ' from the word, so it is best kept for casual notes or commercial signs rather than formal invitations.
Pitfall
I am going to a Xmas party.
I am going to an Xmas party.
Even though it starts with 'X', many people pronounce it 'Ex-mas', so they use the article 'an' instead of 'a'.
Etymology
Attested in this form since 1755, and preceded by earlier forms such as X'temmas (1551) and Old English Χp̃es mæssa (1100), from Cristes mæsse, with abbreviation of Cristes by the symbol X, orthographic borrowing from Ancient Greek Χ (Kh, letter chi), from Χριστός (Khristós, “Christ”). By surface analysis, X (“Christ”) + -mas (“holiday”). In popular use since late 19th century. See Wikipedia for more information.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/xmas