X

X [ēX]
Letter
== Meaning ==
In Ancient Greek, Χ and Ψ were among several variants of the same letter, used originally for /kʰ/ and later, in western areas such as Arcadia, as a simplification of the digraph ΧΣ for /ks/. In the end, more conservative eastern forms became the standard of Classical Greek, and thus Χ (Chi)stood for /kʰ/ (later /x/; palatalized to ç in Modern Greek before front vowels). However, the Etruscans had taken over Χ from western Greek, and it therefore stands for /ks/ in Etruscan and Latin.
The letter Χ ~ Ψ for /kʰ/ was a Greek addition to the alphabet, placed after the Semitic letters along with phi Φ for /pʰ/.