X

Etymology 1

From the Etruscan letter 𐌗 (x, “ex”), from the Ancient Greek letter Χ (Kh, “chi”), created ex nihilo.

Etymology 2

Possibly from skull and crossbones.

Gallery

• Letter styles
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase versions of X, in normal and italic type
• 
  Uppercase and lowercase X in Fraktur

See also

Character=X

Other representations of X:

Pronunciation

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ɛks/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• (phoneme)
  • IPA^(key): /ks/, /ɡz/, /kʃ/, /ɡʒ/
  • IPA^(key): /z/, /ʃ/ (word-initially)
• Rhymes: -ɛks
• Homophone: Exe

Etymology 1

Introduced by René Descartes in the context of mathematical notation, but has since widened to other contexts.

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Presumably by abbreviation of the pronunciation of ecstasy.

Etymology 4

Etymology 5

From Christ by abbreviation, orthographic borrowing from Ancient Greek Χ (Kh, letter chi), from Χριστός (Khristós, “Christ”).

Etymology 6

From cross, due to the X symbol being a cross saltire.

Etymology 7

Letter

X

1. The eighth letter of the Afar alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, T t, S s, E e, C c, K k, X x, I i, D d, Q q, R r, F f, G g, O o, L l, M m, N n, U u, W w, H h, Y y

Pronunciation

• (letter name): IPA^(key): /ɛks/

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Afrikaans alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Noun

X (plural X'e, diminutive X'ie)

1. X

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d͡z/

Letter

X (upper case X, lower case x)

1. The thirty-second letter of the Albanian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Letter

X upper case (lower case x)

1. The twelfth letter of the Azerbaijani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /iʃa/, [i.ʃa]

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-fifth letter of the Basque alphabet, called ixa and written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [ˈiks], [ˈʃeʃ]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [ˈiks], [ˈt͡ʃejʃ]

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Catalan alphabet, called ics or xeix and written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• /ks/

Letter

X

1. A letter in the German-based alphabet of Central Franconian.
2. A letter in the Dutch-based alphabet of Central Franconian.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃ/

Letter

X (lower case x)

1. A letter of the Mazahua alphabet.

Pronunciation 1

Pronunciation 2

Pronunciation

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ɪks/

• Audio:

  (file)

Letter

X (capital, lowercase x)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.

See also

• Previous letter: W
• Next letter: Y

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. (replacement) The letter that represents a diacritic in the x-system, written after the letter in its non-diacriticed form; it is called ikso.

   ambaŭ → ambaux

Etymology

The Finnish orthography using the Latin script was based on those of Swedish, German and Latin, and was first used in the mid-16th century. No earlier script is known. See the Wikipedia article on Finnish for more information, and X for information on the development of the glyph itself.

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-third letter of the Finnish alphabet, called äks or eks and written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /iks/

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

Noun

X m or f (plural X)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the French alphabet, called ixe and written in the Latin script.
2. X-frame stool
   • 1862, Victor Hugo, chapter 1, in Les Misérables, Tome I : Fantine, book 3:

     La duchesse de Duras lisait à trois ou quatre amis, dans son boudoir meublé d’X en satin bleu ciel […] .

     The Duchess de Duras was reading to two or three friends, in a boudoir furnished with X-frame stools in sky-blue satin.

Adjective

X (invariable)

1. X-rated

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔɪks/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪks

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the German alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ç/

Letter

X (lower case x)

1. A letter of the Heiltsuk alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• (letter name) IPA^(key): [ˈiks]
• (phonetic realization) IPA^(key): [ˈks]

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. A letter of the extended Hungarian alphabet, called iksz and written in the Latin script.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) betű; A a, Á á, B b, C c, Cs cs, D d, Dz dz, Dzs dzs, E e, É é, F f, G g, Gy gy, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, Ly ly, M m, N n, Ny ny, O o, Ó ó, Ö ö, Ő ő, P p, R r, S s, Sz sz, T t, Ty ty, U u, Ú ú, Ü ü, Ű ű, V v, Z z, Zs zs. Only in the extended alphabet: Q q W w X x Y y. Commonly used: ch. Also defined: à ë. In surnames (selection): ä aa cz ds eé eö ew oe oó th ts ÿ.

Letter

X (lower case x)

1. The twenty-seventh letter of the Icelandic alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ks/

Letter

X (lower case x)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Ido alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ˈiks/
  • Rhymes: -iks
• (phonemic realization) IPA^(key): /ks/

Letter

X f or m (invariable, upper case, lower case x)

1. the twenty-fourth letter of the Latin alphabet, called ics in Italian

See also

• (Latin-script letters) lettera; A a (À à), B b, C c, D d, E e (É é, È è), F f, G g, H h, I i (Í í, Ì ì, Πî, J j, K k), L l, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ò ò), P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú, Ù ù), V v (W w, X x, Y y), Z z
• Italian alphabet on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology

From Japanese ×(ばつ).

Symbol

X • (X)

1. false.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /x/

Letter

X (lower case x)

1. A letter of the Kwak'wala alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek Χ (Kh, “chi”), which represented /ks/ in the dialects of most of the Greek mainland and Euboea.

Pronunciation

The sound of X was like that of the Greek Ξ (X, “xi”), that is /ks/, although etymologically it represented not only cs (as in lūx, from luc-s, and dīxī, from dic-si), but also gs (as in lēx, from leg-s; rēxī, from reg-si); hs (as in trāxī, from trah-si; vexī, from veh-si); and chs (as in the word onyx, from onych-s, borrowed from the Greek). The hardening of a softer final (g, h, ch) before s into the с sound, which occurs in the last-mentioned cases, is found also in several roots ending in v and u: nix for niv-s, vīxī for viv-si, connixī for conniv-si, fluxī for fluv-si, from fluō (root fluv-; compare fluvius), struxī for stru-si.

Less frequently x has arisen from the combinations ps and ts: proximus for prop-simus (from prope), nīxus for nit-sus (from nītor), the latter being used along with the collateral form nīsus, as also connīvī with connixī, and mistus (from misceō) with mixtus.

An exchange of the sounds ss or s and x, took place in axis for assis and laxus for lassus. In the later language of the vulgar, the guttural sound in x disappeared, and s or ss was often written for it; as vis for vix, visit for vīxit, unsit for unxit, conflississet for conflixisset, in late inscriptions; hence regularly in Italian, and frequently in the other Romance tongues, the Latin x is represented by s or ss.

By a mere graphic variation, one of the constituent sounds of x is often expressed in inscriptions (but not the earliest) by an additional с or s; as SACXO or SAXSO for saxō; VCXOR or VXSOR for uxor; CONIVNCX or CONIVNXS for conjunx; even both sounds are sometimes thus expressed, VICXSIT for vīxit.

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-third letter of the Latin alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Numeral

X

1. ten; decem.

References

• “X” in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short [1907], A New Latin Dictionary.

Pronunciation

• (letter name) IPA^(key): [ɛk̚s]
• (phonetic realization) IPA^(key): (onset) [z], (coda) [k̚s]

Letter

X

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Malay alphabet, called eks and written in the Latin script.

Letter

X (lower case x)

1. A letter of the Navajo alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Letter

X (upper case X, lower case x)

1. the 24th letter of the Norwegian alphabet

Pronunciation

(letter name)

(phonetic realization) IPA^(key): /s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ks/, /ɡz/

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Portuguese alphabet, called xis and written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /x/

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. (International Standard) The eleventh letter of the Romani alphabet, written in the Latin script.
2. (Pan-Vlax) The twelfth letter of the Romani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

References

• Yūsuke Sumi (2018) “X, x”, in ニューエクスプレス　ロマ（ジプシー）語 [New Express Romani (Gypsy)] (in Japanese), Tokyo: Hakusuisha, →ISBN, page 13

Pronunciation

• (phonetic realization) IPA^(key): /ks/, /ɡz/

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-ninth letter of the Romanian alphabet, called ics and written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• (phonetic realization) IPA^(key): /x̠/

Letter

X

1. The thirty-fifth letter of the Saanich alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• (letter name) IPA^(key): /ħɑ/
• (phonetic realization) IPA^(key): /ħ/

Letter

X upper case (lower case x)

1. The fifth letter of the Somali alphabet, called xa and written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈekis/ [ˈe.kis]
• Rhymes: -ekis

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-fifth letter of the Spanish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish X. Each pronunciation has a different source:

• Filipino alphabet pronunciation is influenced by English X.
• Abecedario pronunciation is from Spanish X.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /ˈʔeks/ [ˈʔɛks] (letter name, Filipino alphabet)
    • Rhymes: -eks
  • IPA^(key): /ˈʔekis/ [ˈʔɛː.xɪs] (letter name, Abecedario)
    • Rhymes: -ekis
  • IPA^(key): /ks/ [ks] (phoneme)
  • IPA^(key): /h/ [h] (phoneme, some Spanish loanwords)

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x, Baybayin spelling ᜁᜃ᜔ᜐ᜔)

1. The twenty-sixth letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Filipino alphabet), called eks and written in the Latin script.

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x, Baybayin spelling ᜁᜃᜒᜐ᜔)

1. (historical) The twenty-sixth letter of the Tagalog alphabet (the Abecedario), called equis or ekis and written in the Latin script.

Further reading

• “X”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Pronunciation

1. IPA^(key): /χ/

Letter

X (lower case x)

1. A letter of the Tashelhit alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Further reading

• []

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔit̚˧˦ si˨˩], [ʔit̚˧˦ si˨˩], [səː˨˩], [səː˨˩ ɲɛ˧˨ʔ]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔit̚˦˧˥ ʂɪj˦˩] ~ [ʔit̚˦˧˥ sɪj˦˩], [ʔit̚˦˧˥ sɪj˦˩], [səː˦˩], [səː˦˩ ɲɛ˨˩ʔ]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔɨt̚˦˥ ʂɪj˨˩] ~ [ʔɨt̚˦˥ sɪj˨˩], [ʔɨt̚˦˥ sɪj˨˩], [səː˨˩], [səː˨˩ ɲɛ˨˩˨]
• Phonetic spelling: ít sì, ít xì, xờ, xờ nhẹ

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-eighth letter of the Vietnamese alphabet, called ích, ích xì, xờ, or xờ nhẹ and written in the Latin script.

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Zulu alphabet, written in the Latin script.