![]() ![]() Most general English dictionaries are designed to include only those words that meet certain criteria of usage across wide areas and over extended periods of time (for more details about how words are chosen for dictionary entry, read "How does a word get into a Merriam-Webster dictionary?" in our FAQ). And even if such a leviathan reference was somehow fashioned, the dictionary would be obsolete the instant it was published as speakers and writers continued generating new terms to meet their constantly changing needs. Constraints of time, money, and staff would make it impossible for any dictionary, no matter how large, to capture a fully comprehensive account of all the words in the language. One of the most prolific areas of change and variation in English is vocabulary new words are constantly being coined to name or describe new inventions or innovations, or to better identify aspects of our rapidly changing world. Instead, it is some variant of the question, What makes a word a real word? Yet one of the most often looked for pieces of information regarding word is not something that would be found in its definition. The use of the letter X to represent a kiss long pre-dates the digital era.The word word has a wide range of meanings and uses in English. What Did We Say before Texting and Social Media? However, if it represents the name of Jesus Christ, it would be a letter, in which case it would be an initialism abbreviation. If the X represents a cross, it would be classified as a symbol, rather than a letter. However, it is also thought that the X may have represented the name of Jesus Christ, deriving from "ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ" (which is the Greek word for Christ). It is generally accepted that this X represented the Christian cross. As a result, many people signed letters and sealed envelopes with an X, which they then kissed as a sign of faith and honesty. ![]() In the Middle Ages, most people were illiterate and could only write the letter X. ![]() (Here, X means both "Kiss" and "Variable.")
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