Christmas vs. Xmas - Merriam-Webster Ask the Editor

[tanzir5]

at 1:17-1:19, she makes a weird face :D

[redrum616]

Why do the majority of the comments on here have to be filled with pretentious fops who feel the need to show off their vocabulary at every chance they get. No one cares where you went to school, what you learned, what you do for a living and how it relates to linguistics or language or what level of education you are at. Must we continue to feed our egos on this? Does it really make that much of a difference to advertise these meaningless details to people we don't know?

[stryfe1000]

this is just an excuse anyway, doesn't matter whether it means Christ or not, the official term IS Christmas. Besides it's not like it's common knowledge that X means Christ.

[redrum616]

@stryfe1000 That's not the point. This is perfect for someone to make a rebuttal against a pedantic prude who wants to make a BIG deal out of saying xmas instead of christmas. It's still the same holiday. There is no "proper" term

[onlinesaurav]

2:05 le me satisfied with myself

[agl126]

1:18-1:19 makes me love Kory so much more.

[Myoldnamesdontwork]

well i dont know all the greek alphabets but i know chi because in genetics we use "Chi" square X so that proves w/e she is saying is true believe it or not however i dont know if Chi has any relationship to christo like she is saying...

[JesusFcking]

yeah, the Greek alphabet always confused me, too. maybe it's because i was home schooled.

[WriterToGo]

"X" IS for "Christ".

[Sanchitoooo]

shes sooo cute! vjdksavjoijvioojuaieaio

[4GodSoLoves]

So since space isn't an issue today (I can't see why it ever would have been an issue - X some other word), then you're saying the X is used out of pure laziness? I don't think so. It's clear, due to open rhetoric, that whatever might have once been true about "X", this is not the reason it's employed today. It's indeed, a blatant, forceful removal of Christ from Christmas. In fact, as you know, the attempt has now elevated to the point of removing the entire word Christmas from the Holiday.

[Ashtar94]

@4GodSoLoves "It's indeed, a blatant, forceful removal of Christ from Christmas." Wow, paranoid much? It's amazing that Christians are the overwhelming majority in this country, yet some can have such a persecution complex.

[m169marroquin]

and a happy hhhccccanukkah!!!

[Netugi]

I don't care about the whole Christ thing with Christmas. I celebrate Christmas not because of Jesus's (apparently pronounced Yeshua, Merriam should do a video on this, I wanna know if that's right) death, but because it's in Winter, which is generally a gloomy season, being cold and dark (though I personally like it over Summer). It gives some positiveness to the season. It's just a nice thing to do, giving and receiving presents and whatnot. Just... a couple days to relax and have fun.

[4GodSoLoves]

@Netugi It isn't about Jesus' death. You're thinking about Easter. Christmas is about His birth. Easter is about His death and resurrection. And...

A GIFT FOR ALL ATHEISTS – This Holiday Season, this Christian would like to give a gift to all atheists. It’s the same gift that Christ Himself gave to all of us. This Holiday Season, I give you CHRISTMAS.

[GoldenChildBH]

Parking lots at the mall. So true... ahh... so true...

[leadmorlock]

Kory is the new Marilyn Monroe of nerds! LOVE YOU KORY!!!

[bsktool]

That Corrie Stamper - I want to marry her, she's gorgeous

[soraluna606]

This was great, thank you! I never thought there was an actually historical background to 'xmas'. I had merely thought it was a pop culture creation. It's always nice to learn something new!

[hormigaapomica]

So... what the hell is the plural of platypus?

[soraluna606]

@hormigaapomica Platy-people perhaps?

[Netugi]

@hormigaapomica Either platypuses, platypus, or platypodes. Platipi isn't a Latin word, so that doesn't work. It's of Greek origin, and thus can be platypodes. In the English language, however, it can be platypuses, because it is being used in the English language, and therefore can adopt English characteristics.

[YuungBeezy]

@hormigaapomica platypi

[StrawberriHearts]

i love your hair!! o.O

[ZedBazinga]

merry saturnalia.

[stimpification]

40 metric tonnes? I don't believe it. LOL.

Good presentation. Well done. Merry Xmas

[4ate151623and42]

Happy Holidays!

[ziraffen]

oh.. I thought the x stood for 'criss' like in 'criss cross'. because x is criss crossed and 'criss' sounds like 'CHRISTmas'....... I guess I took it too far..

[BobPataki]

Bawwwwwww

[DrArikGreenberg]

Kory, thank you for sharing this. I've come across such complaints a lot recently among some of my Christian friends. As a scholar of ancient Christian manuscripts such an abbreviation goes back nearly 2000 years! Early Xn (there's another one of those abbreviations) uncial and minuscule manuscripts are rife with such abbreviations, like IC, XC, and so forth. Many thanks for helping to educate!

[Blindsquirrel42]

Kory Stamper makes me want to read the dictionary from cover to cover.

[cellarsunmusic]

Very interesting to know, and explained very well! Thank you!!! :)

[TheAceManHimself]

This video puts the wonder in wonderful.

[tubester4567]

Well, that very interesting but i'm not offended by xmas, i'm more offended that the Christians stole our pagan celebrations of the equinox.

[DaanDobber]

Now explain xoxo

[natg2048]

@DaanDobber x means love and o represents a hug-really!!