xmas

xmas — noun

1. a shorter, informal way of writing the word 'Christmas', used mainly on signs, g

1.名詞A2
釋義

a shorter, informal way of writing the word 'Christmas', used mainly on signs, greeting cards, calendars, advertisements, and in text messages or notes.

例句

Rodrigo sent out over fifty Xmas cards to friends and family this year.

collocation: Xmas cards

The shop window had a sign that read 'Merry Xmas' in big red letters.

collocation: Merry Xmas in signage

同義詞
  • Christmas

    the full, standard form used in both speech and formal writing; 'Xmas' is restricted mainly to informal written contexts.

  • Noël

    a French-derived variant seen on greeting cards, but far less common than Xmas in English.

文法句型

Xmas + noun (Xmas card / Xmas party)

Merry/Happy + Xmas as greeting phrase

用法筆記

This is primarily a written abbreviation and sounds unnatural when spoken aloud — most speakers say 'Christmas' /ˈkrɪsməs/ instead. Some people pronounce the written form as /ˈɛksməs/, though this is less common. Note also that a small number of Christians object to the form because the letter 'X' replaces 'Christ' (from the Greek Chi, Χ, the first letter of Χριστός 'Christos'). In formal or respectful contexts, writing 'Christmas' in full is always safer.

常見錯誤

❌We spent Xmas at my parents' house.' (in speech)
✅We spent Christmas at my parents' house.
💡'Xmas' is almost never used in spoken English; say 'Christmas' instead.
❌X-Mas' or 'Xmas.' (with hyphen or period)
✅Xmas
💡no hyphen or period is needed; the 'X' is not an initial but a Greek Chi abbreviation.
❌Xmass' or 'Xmas's
✅Xmas
💡the shortened form keeps the same possessive pattern as Christmas: 'the Xmas tree' or 'Xmas Day'.