Ways to say it better

What​ ​Is​ ​The​ ​Origin​ ​And​ ​Meaning​ ​Of​ ​XOXO?​ ​We​’​ll​ ​Kiss​ ​And​ ​Tell​!​

 

From​ ​Valentine​’​s​ ​Day​ ​cards​ ​to​ ​messages​ ​from​ ​your​ ​mom,​ ​a​ ​typical​ ​sign-off​ ​to​ ​show​ ​love​ ​and​ ​affection​ ​is​ ​XOXO.​ ​The​ ​X​ ​stands​ ​for​ ​kiss​ ​and​ ​the​ ​O​ ​stands​ ​for​ ​a​ ​hug​—​but​ ​why?​ ​Well,​ ​the​ ​origins​ ​of​ ​these​ ​symbols​ ​is​ ​uncertain,​ ​but​ ​we​ ​can​ ​make​ ​some​ ​educated​ ​guesses​ ​about​ ​where​ ​they​ ​come​ ​from.

 

Why​ ​is​ ​X​ ​the​ ​symbol​ ​for​ ​a​ ​kiss?

The​ ​use​ ​of​ ​X​ ​as​ ​a​ ​symbol​ ​is​ ​believed​ ​to​ ​date​ ​back​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Middle​ ​Ages,​ ​when​ ​most​ ​people​ ​were​ ​not​ ​literate.​ ​They​ ​would​ ​use​ ​the​ ​letter​ ​X​—​or​ ​a​ ​cross​—​to​ ​sign​ ​documents​ ​as​ ​a​ ​display​ ​of​ ​faith​ ​and​ ​indication​ ​of​ ​their​ ​sincerity.​ ​They​’​d​ ​also​ ​kiss​ ​the​ ​cross​ ​as​ ​another​ ​symbol​ ​of​ ​trustworthiness:​ ​a​ ​literal​ ​“​seal​ ​with​ ​a​ ​kiss.​”​ ​In​ ​these​ ​instances,​ ​the​ ​X​ ​represented​ ​the​ ​sign​ ​of​ ​the​ ​cross​ ​and​ ​Christ​ ​because​ ​of​ ​its​ ​connection​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Chi-Rho,​ ​a​ ​Christian​ ​symbol.​ ​The​ ​first​ ​two​ ​letters​ ​of​ ​Christ​ ​in​ ​Greek​ ​(Χ​Ρ​Ι​Σ​Τ​Ο​Σ)​ ​are​ ​chi​ ​and​ ​rho,​ ​and​ ​chi​ ​looks​ ​like​ ​X.

 

It​’​s​ ​possible​ ​that​ ​the​ ​X​ ​also​ ​became​ ​connected​ ​with​ ​kissing​ ​because​ ​it​ ​looks​ ​like​ ​two​ ​puckered​ ​lips.​ ​No​ ​matter​ ​its​ ​history,​ ​the​ ​letter​ ​X​ ​was​ ​used​ ​in​ ​letters​ ​to​ ​symbolize​ ​a​ ​kiss​ ​back​ ​in​ ​the​ ​1700s.​

 

Why​ ​is​ ​O​ ​the​ ​symbol​ ​for​ ​a​ ​hug?

The​ ​origins​ ​of​ ​how​ ​O​ ​came​ ​to​ ​represent​ ​a​ ​hug​ ​are​ ​even​ ​more​ ​uncertain,​ ​though​ ​some​ ​connect​ ​its​ ​use​ ​to​ ​illiterate​ ​Jewish​ ​immigrants​ ​who​ ​came​ ​to​ ​the​ ​US​ ​who​ ​may​ ​have​ ​signed​ ​documents​ ​with​ ​an​ ​O.​ ​They​ ​did​ ​this​ ​in​ ​contrast​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Christian​ ​X.​ ​Eventually​ ​the​ ​letter​ ​came​ ​to​ ​represent​ ​a​ ​hug.

 

Another​ ​possibility​ ​is​ ​that​ ​the​ ​O​ ​is​ ​used​ ​to​ ​represent​ ​hugs​ ​because​ ​it​ ​simply​ ​looks​ ​like​ ​someone​ ​encircling​ ​their​ ​arms​ ​in​ ​a​ ​hugging​ ​gesture.​ ​It​’​s​ ​also​ ​possible​ ​that​ ​the​ ​O​ ​came​ ​to​ ​mean​ ​“​hug​”​ ​because​ ​of​ ​its​ ​prior​ ​association​ ​with​ ​X​ ​from​ ​the​ ​game​ ​tic-tac-toe.

 

The​ ​practice​ ​of​ ​pairing​ ​O​ ​with​ ​X​ ​as​ ​a​ ​sign-off​ ​in​ ​a​ ​letter​ ​as​ ​XOXO​ ​is​ ​a​ ​fairly​ ​modern​ ​one​ ​and​ ​didn​’​t​ ​see​ ​widespread​ ​use​ ​until​ ​the​ ​1960s.​ ​The​ ​TV​ ​series​ ​Gossip​ ​Girl​ ​also​ ​popularized​ ​its​ ​use,​ ​as​ ​each​ ​episode​ ​ended​ ​with​ ​a​ ​signature​ ​voiceover,​ ​“​XOXO,​ ​Gossip​ ​Girl.​”

 

Despite​ ​the​ ​complicated​ ​origins​ ​of​ ​these​ ​symbols,​ ​these​ ​days​ ​it​ ​is​ ​widely​ ​accepted​ ​that​ ​XOXO​ ​means​ ​“​hugs​ ​and​ ​kisses.​”​ ​In​ ​the​ ​United​ ​Kingdom,​ ​use​ ​of​ ​XX​ ​(​meaning​ ​“​kisses​”​)​ ​as​ ​a​ ​sign-off​ ​is​ ​particularly​ ​popular,​ ​though​ ​the​ ​practice​ ​remains​ ​less​ ​common​ ​in​ ​North​ ​America,​ ​where​ ​XOXO​ ​is​ ​the​ ​more​ ​common​ ​formulation.