本帖最後由 kimmi8k 於 2011-12-1 11:50 AM 編輯
X'mas over u hemisphere
X'mas over my hemisphere
X'mas thru the windows
X'mas in the kids world
X'mas under city neons
X'mas around the world
X'mas under the pine trees
American Heritage Dictionary
USAGE NOTE Xmas has been used for hundreds of years in religious writing, where the X represents a Greek chi, the first letter of Χριστος, "Christ." In this use it is parallel to other forms like Xtian, "Christian." But people unaware of the Greek origin of this X often mistakenly interpret Xmas as an informal shortening pronounced (ĕks'məs). Many therefore frown upon the term Xmas because it seems to them a commercial convenience that omits Christ from Christmas.
Fowlers Modern English Usage
In this abbreviated form of the name Christmas, first recorded in the 18th century, the initial X represents a Greek chi (= ch), the first letter of the name Christ. It is a convenient shortening commonly used in newspaper headlines, on cards, and in personal letters, but it is better to pronounce it as 'Christmas' than as 'ex-mass' which some people consider tasteless.
Wiki
"Xmas" is a common abbreviation of the word "Christmas". It is sometimes pronounced /ˈɛksməs/, but it, 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, translated as "Christ".[2]
There is a common misconception that the word Xmas is a secular attempt to remove the religious tradition from Christmas[3] by taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas". |