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X·mas (krĭsməs, ĕksməs)
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n.
Christmas.
[From X, the Greek letter chi, first letter of Greek Khrīstos, Christ; see CHRIST.]
Usage Note: The pronunciation (ĕksməs) is the result of a misinterpretation of the abbreviation Xmas, where the X actually represents a Greek chi, the first letter of Khrīstos, "Christ." This pronunciation is informal.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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