X

See also: Appendix:Variations of "x"

Languages (34)

Translingual • English

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Afar • Afrikaans • Albanian • Azerbaijani • Basque • Central Franconian • Central Mazahua • Chinese • Dutch • Esperanto • Finnish • French • German • Heiltsuk • Hungarian • Icelandic • Ido • Italian • Korean • Kwak'wala • Latin • Malay • Norwegian • Portuguese • Romani • Romanian • Saanich • Somali • Spanish • Tagalog • Vietnamese • Zulu

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Page categories

X U+0058, X LATIN CAPITAL LETTER X ← W [U+0057] Basic Latin Y → [U+0059]

Character variations

Ⅹ U+2169, Ⅹ ROMAN NUMERAL TEN ← Ⅸ [U+2168] Number Forms Ⅺ → [U+216A]

Ｘ U+FF38, Ｘ FULLWIDTH LATIN CAPITAL LETTER X ← Ｗ [U+FF37] Halfwidth and Fullwidth Forms Ｙ → [U+FF39]

Translingual

Etymology 1

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

Letter

X (lower case x)

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

See also

• (Latin script):  Aa  Bb  Cc  Dd  Ee  Ff  Gg  Hh  Ii  Jj  Kk  Ll  Mm  Nn  Oo  Pp  Qq  Rr  Sſs  Tt  Uu  Vv  Ww  Xx  Yy  Zz
• (Variations of letter X):  Ẍẍ  Ẋẋ  ᶍ  Ｘｘ

Numeral

Roman numeral

X	Previous:	IX
	Next:	XI

X

2. The Roman numeral ten (10).
3. (especially in the names of aristocracy) The tenth.

Alternative forms

• x
• VV, vv (nonstandard)
• X. (ordinal number)

Derived terms

• OS X
• Sol X

Symbol

X

1. (bowling) A strike.

   Coordinate term: / (spare)

2. (sports) A fail.

   Coordinate terms: O (success), - (skip)

3. One of the tristimulus values which, with Y and Z, defines coordinates in a three-dimensional color space. Pronounced (in English) big X or cap X.
   • 2003, Charles A. Poynton, Digital Video and HDTV: Algorithms and Interfaces (in English), →ISBN, page 217:

     X, Y and Z are pronounced big-X, big-Y, and big-Z, or cap-X, cap-Y, and cap-Z, to distinguish them from little x and little y, to be described in a moment.

4. A placeholder for any letter or word.
5. (linguistics) A wildcard for any sound (consonant, vowel or tone).
6. (international standards) Substituted for the third letter of a currency code to denote the minor unit of that currency.
7. (chemistry) Halogen.

Etymology 2

Possibly from skull and crossbones.

Symbol

X

1. A hazard indicator, sometimes incorporated into standard labeling and signage systems.

Derived terms

• XXX

Gallery

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

See also

Other representations of X:

NATO phonetic: X-ray Morse code: –··– Braille: ⠭ ASL Manual: X

Signal flag:

Semaphore:

English

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.

Numeral

X

2. An unknown quantity or unknown value.

   Let x represent the forecast traffic flow in 20 years’ time.

Derived terms

• double X
• Generation X
• Planet X
• X chromosome
• X factor

 

X chromosome

• 45,X
• 45,X0
• triple X syndrome
• X-ALD
• X-linked
• X-linked gene
• X-linked trait
• XX
• XXX
• XXXX

 

Translations

unknown quantity or unknown value

• Arabic: س (ar) (sīn) (unknown variable)
• Finnish: X (fi), tuntematon (fi)
• French: X (fr)
• German: x (de) n
• Macedonian: X, икс m (iks)
• Russian: X (ru) n, икс (ru) n (iks)
• Swedish: X (sv)

Proper noun

X

1. A placeholder for an unknown, suppressed or hypothetical name.

   The woman known until now as Witness X has been unmasked after a court ruling.

   Suppose that Mr and Mrs X have been married for many years.

2. (anthroponymy, politics) A surname, used by those who have had their identity or heritage, including their proper ancestral names, erased or forgotten.

   Malcolm X

Derived terms

• Algorithm X
• Australian X disease
• brand X
• hepatitis X
• Hosta virus X
• potato virus X
• Talcum X
• X-caboquinho

 

Etymology 2

Letter

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

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

See also

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

Noun

X

2. Any mark that looks like that letter, such as a mark made by a person who cannot read or write in lieu of a signature.
3. (lacrosse) The spot behind the goal.

Derived terms

• (cross mark): X marks the spot, X out, XXX
• (signature mark): XO, xo, XOXO, xoxo

Translations

cross#noun — see cross

Adjective

X (not comparable)

1. Intersex or non-binary (in passports and identification documents).

   Coordinate terms: M, F

Etymology 3

Presumably by abbreviation of the pronunciation of ecstasy.

Noun

X (uncountable)

1. (slang) Ecstasy, a particular street drug.
   • 2003 January 7, “In da Club” (track 5), in Get Rich or Die Tryin', performed by 50 Cent:

     You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub'. Look, mami, I got the X if you into takin' drugs.

   • 2008, Stephen King, Graduation Weekend:

     Tonight the kids will go out and party down in a more righteous mode. Alcohol and not a few tabs of X will be ingested. Club music will throb through big speakers.

   • 2018 June 8, “Love Druggie”‎^[1]performed by Mendoza:

     I'm a love druggie falling for these drug junkies. Come n call on me besides these X parties. It's fucking hard on my body.

Translations

slang: ecstasy

• Finnish: E (fi), eve (fi), essi (fi), xtc (fi)

Etymology 4

Adjective

X (not comparable)

1. (British film certificate, dated) Suitable only for those aged sixteen or (later) eighteen years and over.
2. (originally movie rating) Obscene; adult; pornographic; XXX.
   • 1976, Movie Maker, volume 10, numbers 1-6, page 364:

     If you go to an X movie you do so knowingly, as does everyone else in the audience. Or if the same thing comes up on TV you can switch over, or, if you wish, enjoy it in relative privacy.

Derived terms

• XXX
• XXXX

 

Translations

suitable for those over 16 or 18

• Finnish: K (fi)
• Swedish: barnförbjuden (sv) (literally “forbidden to children”)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} X (fr)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} equis (es)

Etymology 5

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

Proper noun

X

1. (informal) Christ

Derived terms

• Xian
• Xianity
• Xmas
• Xmastide
• Xt
• Xtian
• Xtianity
• Xtina
• Xtopher

 

Translations

informal: Christ

• Finnish: Jesse (fi)

Etymology 6

Sign reading “Pedestrian X” (Pedestrian Crossing)

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

Noun

X (plural Xes)

1. Cross, crossing.

   Kennington via Charing X

Derived terms

• ped xing
• xing

 

Translations

cross, crossing

• Finnish: risteys (fi); suojatie (fi) (pedestrian crossing)

Etymology 7

Adjective

X (comparative more X, superlative most X)

1. (informal) Abbreviation of extreme.

Afar

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

Afrikaans

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.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) letter; Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, Ee, Ff, Gg, Hh, Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll, Mm, Nn, Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt, Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx, Yy, Zz

Noun

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

1. X

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

• (Latin-script letters) shkronjë; A a, B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, Dh dh, E e, Ë ë, F f, G g, Gj gj, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, Ll ll, M m, N n, Nj nj, O o, P p, Q q, R r, Rr rr, S s, Sh sh, T t, Th th, U u, V v, X x, Xh xh, Y y, Z z, Zh zh
• (Arvanitic) (Greek-script letters) Α α, Β β, Ƃ ƅ, Γ γ, Γϳ γϳ, Δ δ, D d, Ε ε, Ε̱ ε̱, Ζ ζ, Ζ̇ ζ̇, Θ θ, Ι ι, Ϳ ϳ, Κ κ, Κ̇ κ̇, Λ λ, ΛΛ λλ, Λ̇ λ̇, Μ μ, Ν ν, Ν̇ ν̇, Ο ο, Π π, Ρ ρ, Ρ̇ ρ̇, Σ σ, Σ̈ σ̈, Τ τ, Ȣ ȣ, Υ υ, Φ φ, Χ χ, Χ̇ χ̇, ΤΣ τσ, ΤΣ̈ τσ̈, DΣ dσ, DΣ̈ dσ̈

Azerbaijani

Letter

X upper case (lower case x)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) hərf; A a, B b, C c, Ç ç, D d, E e, Ə ə, F f, G g, Ğ ğ, H h, X x, I ı, İ i, J j, K k, Q q, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ö ö, P p, R r, S s, Ş ş, T t, U u, Ü ü, V v, Y y, Z z

Basque

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.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c (Ç ç), D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ñ ñ, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ü ü), V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Central Franconian

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.

Usage notes

• In the German-based spelling, x is the default spelling for /ks/, but not the most frequent spelling. Following the German cognate or otherwise when there is an intervening morpheme boundary, the spellings chs, cks, ks (possibly also ggs) may be used instead.
• In the Dutch-based spelling, /ks/ is usually represented by ks. The letter x occurs only rarely in loanwords.
• X is never doubled and preceding vowels are short unless they are themselves doubled (as in English).

Central Mazahua

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃ/

Letter

X (lower case x)

1. A letter of the Mazahua alphabet.

Chinese

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): áikesi

  (Zhuyin): ㄞˊ ˙ㄎㄜ ˙ㄙ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ik¹ si⁴
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): ek-su

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ih⁴ se⁸

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁷eq ⁵kheq-sy; ¹e-kheq-sy

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: áikesi
    • Zhuyin: ㄞˊ ˙ㄎㄜ ˙ㄙ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: áike̊si̊h
    • Wade–Giles: ai²-kʻo⁵-ssŭ⁵
    • Yale: ái-ke-sz
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: air.ke.sy
    • Palladius: айкэсы (ajkɛsy)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˀaɪ̯³⁵ kʰə³ sz̩¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: ik¹ si⁴
    • Yale: īk sìh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: ik⁷ si⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: ig¹ xi⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɪk̚⁵ siː²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ek-su
    • Tâi-lô: ik-su
    • Phofsit Daibuun: eksw
    • IPA (Xiamen): /iɪk̚³²⁻⁴ su⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ih⁴ se⁸
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ih sṳ̍
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iʔ²⁻⁴ sɯ⁴/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁷eq ⁵kheq-sy; ¹e-kheq-sy
    • MiniDict: eh^入 kheh^去 sy; e^平 kheh sy
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁴eq ²kheq-sr; ¹e-kheq-sr
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /əʔ⁵⁵ kʰəʔ³³ sz̩⁴⁴/, /e⁵⁵ kʰəʔ³³ sz̩²¹/

Letter

X

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

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xī (xi¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xī
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: si
    • Wade–Giles: hsi¹
    • Yale: syī
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shi
    • Palladius: си (si)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵/

Letter

X

1. The second letter used in Pinyin.

Dutch

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

Esperanto

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

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.

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.

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

compounds

• X-bosoni
• X-kromosomi
• X-lentokone
• X-sukupolvi
• X-tehokkuus

 

See also

• (Latin-script letters) kirjain; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s (Š š), T t, U u, V v (W w), X x, Y y, Z z (Ž ž), Å å, Ä ä, Ö ö

French

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

Derived terms

• film X

German

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.

Heiltsuk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ç/

Letter

X (lower case x)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Á á, A̓ a̓, B b, C c, C̓ c̓, D d, Ꟛ ꟛ, G g, Gv gv, Ǧ ǧ, Ǧv ǧv, H h, H̓ h̓, Ħ ħ, I i, Í í, I̓ i̓, K k, Kv kv, K̓ k̓, K̓v k̓v, L l, ʼL l̓, Ḷ ḷ, Ḷ́ ḷ́, ʼḶ ḷ̓, Ɫ ɫ, M m, ʼM m̓, Ṃ ṃ, Ṃ́ ṃ́, ʼṂ ṃ̓, N n, ʼN n̓, Ṇ ṇ, Ṇ́ ṇ́, ʼṆ ṇ̓, P p, P̓ p̓, Q q, Qv qv, Q̓ q̓, Q̓v q̓v, S s, T t, T̓ t̓, Ƛ ƛ, Ƛ̓ ƛ̓, U u, Ú ú, U̓ u̓, W w, ʼW w̓, X x, Xv xv, X̌ x̌, X̌v x̌v, Y y, ʼY y̓, Z z, ʔ

Hungarian

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.

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

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.

Icelandic

Letter

X (lower case x)

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) bókstafur; A a, Á á, B b, D d, Рð, E e, É é, F f, G g, H h, I i, Í í, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, Ó ó, P p, R r, S s, T t, U u, Ú ú, V v, X x, Y y, Ý ý, Þ þ, Æ æ, Ö ö

Ido

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ks/

Letter

X (lower case x)

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

See also

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

Italian

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

Usage notes

• The letter X is not considered part of the Italian alphabet. It is found mainly in loanwords, Latinisms, and Grecisms.

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

Korean

Etymology

From Japanese ×(ばつ).

Symbol

X • (X)

1. false.

Antonyms

• O (O)

Derived terms

OX (OX)

Kwak'wala

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /x/

Letter

X (lower case x)

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

See also

• Uʼmista (Latin-script letters) A a, A̱ a̱, B b, D d, Dł dł, Dz dz, E e, G g, Gw gw, G̱ g̱, G̱w g̱w, H h, I i, K k, Kw kw, K̓ k̓, K̓w k̓w, Ḵ ḵ, Ḵw ḵw, Ḵ̓ ḵ̓, Ḵ̓w ḵ̓w, L l, ʼL ʼl, Ł ł, M m, ʼM ʼm, N n, ʼN ʼn, O o, P p, P̓ p̓, S s, T t, T̓ t̓, Tł tł, T̓ł t̓ł, Ts ts, T̓s t̓s, U u, W w, ʼW ʼw, X x, Xw xw, X̱ x̱, X̱w x̱w, Y y, ʼY ʼy, ʼ

• Liq̓ʷala (Latin-script letters) A a, Ə ə, B b, D d, Ꟛ ꟛ, Dᶻ dᶻ, E e, G g, Gʷ gʷ, Ǧ ǧ, Ǧʷ ǧʷ, H h, I i, K k, Kʷ kʷ, K̓ k̓, K̓ʷ k̓ʷ, Q q, Qʷ qʷ, Q̓ q̓, Q̓ʷ q̓ʷ, L l, L̓ l̓, Ł ł, M m, M̓ m̓, N n, N̓ n̓, O o, P p, P̓ p̓, S s, T t, T̓ t̓, Ƛ ƛ, Ƛ̓ ƛ̓, C c, C̓ c̓, U u, W w, W̓ w̓, X x, Xʷ xʷ, X̌ x̌, X̌ʷ x̌ʷ, Y y, Y̓ y̓, ʔ

Latin

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.

See also

• Roman numeral letters: I, V, L, C, D, M.
• Unicode glyphs of Roman numerals: Ⅹ, ⅹ.
• Appendixes: Roman numerals, Latin cardinal numerals

References

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

Malay

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.

See also

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

Norwegian

Letter

X (upper case X, lower case x)

1. the 24th letter of the Norwegian alphabet

Usage notes

Mostly used in loan words and foreign names. Also used in old inscriptions and texts instead of ks.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

(letter name)

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃis/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃis/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈʃiʃ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʃiʃ/

(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.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) letra; A a (Á á, À à,  â, àã), B b, C c (Ç ç), D d, E e (É é, Ê ê), F f, G g, H h, I i (Í í), J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o (Ó ó, Ô ô, Õ õ), P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u (Ú ú), V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z
• xis

Romani

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.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, X x, I i, J j, K k, Kh kh, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Ph ph, R r, S s, T t, Th th, U u, V v, Z z International Standard: (À à, Ä ä, Ǎ ǎ), Ć ć, Ćh ćh, (È è, Ë ë, Ě ě), (Ì ì, Ï ï, Ǐ ǐ), (Ò ò, Ö ö, Ǒ ǒ), Rr rr, Ś ś, (Ù ù, Ü ü, Ǔ ǔ), Ź ź, Ʒ ʒ, Q q, Ç ç, ϴ θ. Pan-Vlax: Č č, Čh čh, Dž dž, (Dź dź), Ř ř, Š š, (Ś ś), Ž ž, (Ź ź).

References

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

Romanian

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.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ă ă,  â, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, Πî, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, Ș ș, T t, Ț ț, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

Saanich

Pronunciation

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

Letter

X

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

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A, Á, Ⱥ, B, C, Ć, Ȼ, D, E, H, I, Í, J, K, Ꝁ, Ꝃ, ₭, Ḵ, Ḱ, L, Ƚ, M, N, Ṉ, O, P, Q, S, Ś, T, Ⱦ, Ṯ, Ŧ, U, W, W̱, X, X̱, Y, Z, s, ¸

Somali

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.

Usage notes

1. The fifth letter of the Somali alphabet, which follows Arabic abjad order. It is preceded by J and followed by KH.

See also

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

Spanish

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.

Derived terms

• cada X tiempo
• rayo X

 

Tagalog

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.

Usage notes

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

Related terms

• rayos X

 

See also

• (Latin-script letters) titik; A a, B b, C c, D d, E e, F f, G g, H h, I i, J j, K k, L l, M m, N n, Ñ ñ, Ng ng, O o, P p, Q q, R r, S s, T t, U u, V v, W w, X x, Y y, Z z

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

Vietnamese

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.

See also

• (Quốc ngữ letters) chữ cái; A a (À à, Ả ả, àã, Á á, Ạ ạ), Ă ă (Ằ ằ, Ẳ ẳ, Ẵ ẵ, Ắ ắ, Ặ ặ),  â (Ầ ầ, Ẩ ẩ, Ẫ ẫ, Ấ ấ, Ậ ậ), B b, C c (Ch ch), D d, Đ đ, E e (È è, Ẻ ẻ, Ẽ ẽ, É é, Ẹ ẹ), Ê ê (Ề ề, Ể ể, Ễ ễ, Ế ế, Ệ ệ), G g (Gh gh, Gi gi), H h, I i (Ì ì, Ỉ ỉ, Ĩ ĩ, Í í, Ị ị), K k (Kh kh), L l, M m, N n (Ng ng, Ngh ngh, Nh nh), O o (Ò ò, Ỏ ỏ, Õ õ, Ó ó, Ọ ọ), Ô ô (Ồ ồ, Ổ ổ, Ỗ ỗ, Ố ố, Ộ ộ), Ơ ơ (Ờ ờ, Ở ở, Ỡ ỡ, Ớ ớ, Ợ ợ), P p (Ph ph), Q q (Qu qu), R r, S s, T t (Th th, Tr tr), U u (Ù ù, Ủ ủ, Ũ ũ, Ú ú, Ụ ụ), Ư ư (Ừ ừ, Ử ử, Ữ ữ, Ứ ứ, Ự ự), V v, X x, Y y (Ỳ ỳ, Ỷ ỷ, Ỹ ỹ, Ý ý, Ỵ ỵ)

Zulu

Letter

X (upper case, lower case x)

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

See also

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