x U+0078, x
LATIN SMALL LETTER X
w
[U+0077]
Basic Latin y
[U+0079]
ˣ U+02E3, ˣ
MODIFIER LETTER SMALL X
ˢ
[U+02E2]
Spacing Modifier Letters ˤ
[U+02E4]
U+FF58, x
FULLWIDTH LATIN SMALL LETTER X

[U+FF57]
Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms
[U+FF59]
U+2179, ⅹ
SMALL ROMAN NUMERAL TEN

[U+2178]
Number Forms
[U+217A]

Translingual

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology 1

Letter

x (upper case X)

  1. The twenty-fourth letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.

See also

Etymology 2

The variable name comes from usage in Spain, as up to the 16th century ⟨x⟩ had the sound value /ʃ/ in Spanish, so was used to transcribe Arabic ش (š) used for the purpose of a variable as an abbreviation of شَيْء (šayʔ, thing).[1] Its sound value in Spanish has since then become /x/, which explains the decision made in the circle of the International Phonetic Association to assign this character to the voiceless velar fricative. Compare English hickey (an object whose name is not recalled; bruise-like mark made during petting by pressing the mouth to the skin) for the development of the sense of a communicated kiss.

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Symbol

x

  1. (IPA) a voiceless velar fricative.
    (superscript ⟨ˣ⟩) [x]-fricated release, [x]-coloring, or a weak, fleeting or epenthetic [x] – see ⟨ˣ⟩.
  2. (mathematics) A name for an unknown variable.
  3. (mathematics) The first coordinate in Cartesian coordinates, representing horizontal position.
  4. Used as a placeholder for a digit or value that may vary.
    • 2008, Leonard Richardson, Sam Ruby, RESTful Web Services (in English), page 387:
      The 5xx [i.e. three digits starting "5"] series of status codes is for representing problems on the server side.
    • 2009, Ravi Rikhye, Concise World Armies 2009 (in English):
      BRIGADE NUMBERING - TRADITIONAL • Armor Brigade [5xx series] • Armored Infantry Brigade [3xx series] • Motorized Infantry Brigade [2xx series] • Infantry Brigade [1xx series] • Special Forces [8xx series]
    • 2010, Tri "Slowhabit" Nguyen, Martin Harris, Advanced PLO Play (in English), page 53:
      Although my opponent will have 4xxx [i.e. a 4 and three other cards] frequently, I have to stack off occasionally to avoid being exploited in this spot.
  5. A kiss at the end of a letter, or similar missive.
    • 2009 September 8, tammy martinez, “God bless u!”, in cir-b-ksa[3] (Usenet; in Spanish), retrieved 2014-10-26:
      Que DIOS te bendiga, xoxo
      GOD bless you xoxo
    • 2010 September 4, pap...@yahoo.com, “Re: Sortido”, in Medicina UFRJ Turma 1970[4] (Usenet; in Portuguese), retrieved 2014-10-26:
      Pratinha te amo, te amo...XOXO luizbola
      Parinha I love you, I love you...XOXO luizbola
    • 2012, Amanda Jennings, Sworn Secret (in English):
      i love you :)! xxx. She pressed send and stared at him. She giggled when he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
    • 2012, Maya Rodale, Geheimes Spiel der Liebe[5] (in German):
      XOXO, dein Schreibmädchen, deine Frau
      XOXO, your writing girl, your wife
    • 2013, Arthur Fleischmann, Carly Fleischmann, La voz de Carly[6] (in Spanish):
      Nos vemos en unos días. Te quiero. Xoxo.
      We see each other in a few days. I want you. Xoxo.
    • 1999, Mon évolution par l'Amour[7] (in French), page 134:
      Je t’aime ! Kristel xxxx...
      I love you ! Kristel xxxx...
Usage notes

In the mathematical senses, the term is conventionally rendered in italics, as in, “Solve the equation   for  .”

References
  1. ^ Lagarde, Paul de (1882), “Woher stammt das x der Mathematiker?”, in Nachrichten von der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen[1] (in German), issue 13, pages 409–413

Etymology 3

The multiplication sign is an arbitrary notation developed in the early 17th century.

Symbol

x

  1. Alternative spelling of ×
    Dimensions: 1280x720
    3x as much as usual
    • 2017, Karin Loose, Gesunde Lebensführung - Gewusst wie!?: Ernährung + Bewegung + Psyche (in German), BookRix, →ISBN:
      Nebenzahlreichen sekundären Pflanzenstoffen enthält Moringa: 2x so viel Proteine wie Soja [...]
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Usage notes

Using x (in upper- or lower-case, italicized or not, and sometimes rotated 90 degrees) to indicate multiplication was common in 17th-century mathematical texts.[1] Today, this usage is considered poor typography, but it is nevertheless common because computer keyboards lack a × key.

References
  1. ^ Cajori, Florian (December 1914), “The Cross X as a Symbol for Multiplication”, in Nature[2], volume 94, →DOI, pages 363–364

Etymology 4

 
A CD-R claiming 52X speed.
 
A DVD-R claiming 8x speed.

Originates in given multiples of the speeds specified in the original CD and DVD standards, then, by reason of the actual unit being without name but just implied by the multiplication sign, reinterpreted as or used as if a unit, considering also that data transfer speed is variable, so that now, bolstered by stylization of the sign in the marketing of manufacturers, either spelling, with the multiplication sign or with the ex borrowed from the iconic mathematical variable sign, seems correct.

Symbol

x

  1. (computing) A unit of transfer rate of CD drives, equal to 150 KiB per second.
  2. (computing) A unit of transfer rate of DVD drives, equal 1.32 MiB per second.

Further reading

Etymology 5

Symbol

x

  1. , the Roman numeral ten (10)
Alternative forms

See also

Gallery

See also

Other representations of X:

English

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (letter name): IPA(key): /ɛks/
(file)
Rhymes: -ɛks
  • (phoneme)
    • IPA(key): /ks/, /ɡz/, /kʃ/, /ɡʒ/
    • IPA(key): /z/, /ʃ/ (word-initially)

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X, plural xs or x's)

  1. The twenty-fourth letter of the English alphabet, called ex and written in the Latin script.
  2. Forming gender-neutral or otherwise more inclusive versions of words, especially Spanish-derived words by replacing both the masculine -o and feminine -a.
    alumnx, Chicanx (Xicanx), Filipinx, Latinx, Mx, mxn, Tejanx, womxn
Derived terms
See also
  • -x (as in folx, punx)
  • (gender): @

Adjective

x

  1. Alternative letter-case form of X (intersex or non-binary, in passports and identification documents)

Numeral

x

  1. (sometimes humorous) An unknown or unspecified number of.
    • 2016 February 22, Andrew Sparrow, “David Cameron's swipe at Boris Johnson in the Commons – verdict”, in The Guardian[9]:
      David Cameron gives a Commons statement after every EU summit and normally they follow a predictable pattern; he says that he set out with X number of aims, and then he explains he has achieved all X of them (even if he hasn’t). The most interesting comments normally come in the exchanges with MPs.
    • 2016 May 19, Aaron Souppouris, “Why Google can't stop making messaging apps”, in Engadget[10]:
      But chances are that Google will continue to float new ideas before eventually merging the best of them into a single, coherent application, as it did with Hangouts. And then it'll start the process again. In the meantime, Google will spend money developing x number of duplicate apps, and users will have to deal with a confusing mess of applications on their home screens.

Conjunction

x

  1. (fandom slang) Used between the names of two characters to denote a ship, particularly in anime, manga, and video games.
    • 1998 August 31, Greg Upchurch, “[Eva][Fanfic] Aright”, in rec.arts.anime.creative[11] (Usenet):
      If there is anyone in the audience who can't stand someone pushing a Shinji x Rei thing, I know you want to quit on this fic now.
    • 2002 July 7, Arnold Kim, “Re: Favorite couples??”, in alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer[12] (Usenet):
      I'm a fairly big Angel x Buffy fan, though I'm not a particularly big fan of Angel. They just work well together, IMO.
    • 2003 April 29, sephigirl, “Re: [OT] Character selections was: Re: [POLL] Identification”, in alt.fan.utena[13] (Usenet):
      Tho' my doujinshi is a Cloud x Sephiroth - yes you read that right - Cloud's name is first. ^^!
    • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:x.
  2. (music) Used in place of and in artist collaborations.
    Taska Black x DROELOE, Steve Aoki x Lauren Jauregui, etc.

Etymology 2

Abbreviations.

Symbol

x

  1. (stenoscript) the sound sequence /ɛks/ or /ks/.
  2. (stenoscript) the suffix or final sequence /iəs/ (-ious, -eous, -eus)
  3. (stenoscript) the suffix or final syllable /ʃəs/ (-tious, -cious, -xious)
  4. (stenoscript) the suffix or final syllable /ʃəl/ (-tial, -cial)

See also

Afar

Letter

x

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

See also

Albanian

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.

See also

Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

Letter

x lower case (upper case X)

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

See also

Basque

Pronunciation

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

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

See also

Blin

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ħ/ (/x/ is spelled kh)

Letter

x (uppercase X)

  1. A letter of the Bilen Latin alphabet.

Catalan

Preposition

x

  1. (text messaging, Internet slang) per

Central Mazahua

Pronunciation

Letter

x (upper case X)

  1. A letter of the Mazahua alphabet.

Comox

Pronunciation

  1. IPA(key): /x/

Letter

x (upper case X)

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

Dutch

Pronunciation

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

  1. The twenty-fourth letter of the Dutch alphabet.

See also

  • Previous letter: w
  • Next letter: y

Esperanto

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

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

Finnish

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.

Pronunciation

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

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

Usage notes

  • Used only in loanwords. In more established loanwords replaced with ks.

See also

French

Pronunciation

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

  1. The twenty-fourth letter of the French alphabet, written in the Latin script.
    • 1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manchefr.Wikisource, translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Chapter I:
      Avec ces propos et d’autres semblables, le pauvre gentilhomme perdait le jugement. Il passait les nuits et se donnait la torture pour les comprendre, pour les approfondir, pour leur tirer le sens des entrailles, ce qu’Aristote lui-même n’aurait pu faire, s’il fût ressuscité tout exprès pour cela.
      With these passages and other similar ones, the poor gentleman lost his judgement. He spent his nights and tortured himself to understand them, to consider them more deeply, to take from them their deepest meaning, which Aristotle himself would not have been able to do, had he been resurrected for that very purpose.

Gothic

Romanization

x

  1. Romanization of 𐍇

Hungarian

Pronunciation

  • (phoneme): IPA(key): [ˈks]
  • (letter name): IPA(key): [ˈiks]

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

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

Declension

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
singular plural
nominative x x-ek
accusative x-et x-eket
dative x-nek x-eknek
instrumental x-szel x-ekkel
causal-final x-ért x-ekért
translative x-szé x-ekké
terminative x-ig x-ekig
essive-formal x-ként x-ekként
essive-modal
inessive x-ben x-ekben
superessive x-en x-eken
adessive x-nél x-eknél
illative x-be x-ekbe
sublative x-re x-ekre
allative x-hez x-ekhez
elative x-ből x-ekből
delative x-ről x-ekről
ablative x-től x-ektől
non-attributive
possessive - singular
x-é x-eké
non-attributive
possessive - plural
x-éi x-ekéi
Possessive forms of x
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. x-em x-eim
2nd person sing. x-ed x-eid
3rd person sing. x-e x-ei
1st person plural x-ünk x-eink
2nd person plural x-etek x-eitek
3rd person plural x-ük x-eik

Derived terms

See also

Further reading

  • x in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (‘The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language’, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Icelandic

Pronunciation

Letter

x (upper case X)

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

See also

Ido

Pronunciation

  • (context pronunciation) IPA(key): /ks/
  • (letter name) IPA(key): /kse/

Letter

x (upper case X)

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

See also

Indonesian

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (context pronunciation) IPA(key): /s, ks/
  • (letter name) IPA(key): /ɛks/

Letter

x (upper case X)

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

See also

Etymology 2

Noun

x

  1. (text messaging) Abbreviation of kali.

Etymology 3

Unknown.

Suffix

x

  1. (text messaging, slang) Abbreviation of -nya.

Synonyms

Italian

Etymology 1

Letter

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

  1. the twenty-fourth letter of the Latin alphabet, called ics in Italian
Usage notes
  • The letter X is not considered part of the Italian alphabet. It is found mainly in loanwords, Latinisms, and Grecisms.

Etymology 2

The multiplication sign × (which is visually similar to the letter x) is pronounced per in Italian.

Preposition

x

  1. (text messaging, slang) Abbreviation of per (for).
Usage notes
  • This convention is not only used for the preposition but also used within words such as, xké (perché), (però).

Kwak'wala

Pronunciation

Letter

x (upper case X)

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

Latin

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

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

See also

  • More information at X.

Malay

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X) (eks)

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

See also

Adverb

x

  1. (informal, text messaging, Internet slang) Abbreviation of tak (not).

Synonyms

Derived terms

  • xde (tidak ada, "does not have")
  • xpe (tidak apa, "what not")

Maltese

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʃ/
  • IPA(key): /ʒ/ (by assimilation to a following voiced obstruent)
  • In a handful of English borrowings, x represents /ʒ/ also in other positions (compare televixin).

Letter

x (upper case X)

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

See also

Mam

Pronunciation

Letter

x (uppercase X)

  1. A letter of the Mam alphabet.

Navajo

Pronunciation

  1. IPA(key): /x/, /h/

Letter

x (upper case X)

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

Usage notes

The letter ⟨x⟩ is used for the phoneme /x/, but also for /h/ after the letter ⟨s⟩ and elsewhere that an ⟨h⟩ would be ambiguous.

Norwegian

Pronunciation

  • (letter name): IPA(key): /eks/, /ɛks/
  • (phoneme): IPA(key): /ks/, /s/
  • (file)

Letter

x

  1. The 24th letter of the Norwegian alphabet.

Usage notes

  • Only appears in loanwords from e.g. Latin.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

Phoneme:

  • IPA(key): /ʃ/, /ks/, /s/, /z/, /ɡz/

Letter name:

 

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

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

See also

Romani

Pronunciation

Letter

x (lower case, upper 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.

See also

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

Romanian

Pronunciation

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

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

See also

Somali

Pronunciation

Letter

x (upper case X)

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

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): (phoneme) /ks/, /s/, /x/
  • IPA(key): (letter name) /ˈekis/ [ˈe.kis]
  • IPA(key): (gender-neutral) /e/ [e]
    • Rhymes: -e

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

  1. the 25th letter of the Spanish alphabet
  2. (uncommon) forms gender-neutral versions of words by replacing both the masculine o and feminine a
    chicano/chicana → ‎chicanx
    ellos/ellas → ‎ellxs
    latino/latina → ‎latinx
    los/las → ‎lxs

See also

Preposition

x

  1. (text messaging, Internet slang) por

Tagalog

Etymology

From Spanish x. Each pronunciation has a different source:

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

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: x
  • (letter name, Filipino alphabet): IPA(key): /ʔeks/, [ʔɛks]
  • (letter name, Abecedario): IPA(key): /ˈʔekis/, [ˈʔɛ.xɪs]
  • (phoneme): IPA(key): /ks/, [ks]
  • (phoneme, some Spanish loanwords): IPA(key): /h/, [h]
  • Rhymes: -eks, -ekis

Letter

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

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

Usage notes

  • This letter is mostly used only in proper nouns, unadapted loanwords, or Spanish-based spellings.

See also

Letter

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

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

Further reading

  • x”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

Tarifit

Alternative forms

Etymology

From ixf (head) by means of grammaticalization.

Preposition

x (Tifinagh spelling )

  1. location marker
    1. indicates location on top of something: on, on top of
      yeqqim x řkursi
      He sat on the chair.

Zulu

Letter

x (lower case, upper case X)

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

See also