Xmas
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: krĭs'məs
enpr: ĕks'məs
ipa: /ˈkɹɪs.məs/
ipa: /ˈɛks.məs/
rhymes: (homophone of Christmas) -ɪsməs
homophone: Christmas
Forms: form: Xmass
form: Xmasses
form: Xmasing
form: Xmassing
form: Xmased
form: Xmased
form: Xmassed
form: Xmassed
form: X-mas
form: Xtmas
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.
Senses: examples: text: N:Castle (Xmassing and wanted at play)
ref: 1764 January 9, Josiah Wedgwood, private correspondence; quoted in Eliza Meteyard, The Life of Josiah Wedgwood, from His Private Correspondence and Family Papers […], volume I, London: Hurst and Blackett, […], 1865, page 333:
text: I wᵈ not have you think yᵗ we have no Xmassing here; we have had as large a round of dinners at Pau as we could have at Welsbourn (tho perhaps (to me) not quite so pleasant).
ref: 1788 January 3, Court Dewes, “Court Dewes, Esq., to Miss Port, at Windsor”, in Lady Llanover [i.e., Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover], editor, The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mary Granville, Mrs. Delany: With Interesting Reminiscences of King George the Third and Queen Charlotte, second series, volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], published 1862, page 469:
text: Barking, Saturday, Nov. 29. / Dear and Respected Master, / Excusez ma “franchise,” but “Essence of Parliament” is this week represented by ˣ⁄ₓ, and that’s the reason Y. So no more at present from Your fond and faithful Toby. / “Confound his algebraical impudence!” exclaimed Mr. Punch. “He’s beginning Xmassing already. When he returns, I shall make Master Toby sit up.”
ref: 1884 December 6, “Essence of Parliament”, in Punch, or The London Charivari, volume LXXXVII, number 2265, London: […] [T]he Office, […], page 268:
text: Charles Snelling and wife, of Belleview, Xmased with father and mother Snelling, of Rock Spring.
ref: 1905 January 4, “[County Correspondence.] Commissary.”, in Boone County Recorder, volume XXX, number 12, Burlington, Ky., front page, column 2:
text: We have Xmassed and are still doing so. We had an awful Xmas dinner that took hours, the whole staff dining together, which as we saw each other all day and every day was most funereal as no one could think of anything to say to each other.
ref: 1916 December 28, Dorothy Seymour, journal; quoted in Anne Powell, “[1916 – Dardanelles, Persia, Romania, Russia and Mesopotamia] Miss Dorothy Seymour: Anglo-Russian Hospital, Petrograd, Russia”, in Women in the War Zone: Hospital Service in the First World War, Stroud, Glos.: The History Press, 2009, →ISBN, page 304:
text: Barrett Gilbert, the Gotham storager, has gifted us with a refiller for the desk pad he Xmased us with a yr ago, with gold edges.
ref: 1923 January, “[Two Bits: A Bit Here, A Bit There] News Items”, in Distribution & Warehousing, volume XXII, number 1, New York, N.Y.: The Class Journal Co., page 47:
text: Ruthie Shapiro, record promoting for Eileen Rodgers, Columbia recording’ artist, Xmased deejays with playing cards backed with Eileen’s photo, cute gimmick, also her famous green writing ball point pens.
ref: 1958 January 4, “Through The Coin Chute: New England Nibbles”, in The Cash Box, volume XIX, number 16, New York, N.Y.: The Cash Box Publishing Co., Inc., page 54:
text: Alfreda Ferrell and her three children Xmased in Chica.
ref: 1963 January 3, “Bill Smallwood”, in California Eagle, volume LXXXIII, number 42, Los Angeles, Calif., page 7:
text: On a balmy afternoon an American couple (hardware store in Ohio) were strolling down a street in Kathmandu. She, in a trendy strolling suit. He, in bermuda short and an aloha shirt. (They had Xmased in Hawaii.)
ref: 1986, James Ramsey, Getting High in the Himalayas, New York, N.Y.: Carlton Press, Inc., →ISBN, page 101:
text: Text messages are noted for their abbreviations, though in fact many of those that are used are already standard abbreviations in written English. The difference is that they are sometimes used in text messages in slightly different – and sometimes very creative – contexts. Here are some examples: / I’ll send it this pm. (= afternoon) / Put yer ft. up. (= feet) / So, you’ll be Xmassing in France?? (= ‘spending Christmas in France’)
ref: 2009, Sidney Greenbaum, Gerald Nelson, “[English in use] English in emails and text messages”, in An Introduction to English Grammar, 3rd edition, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, N.Y.: Routledge, published 2013, →ISBN, part II (The Applications), page 180:
glosses: Abbreviation of Christmas.