XOXO – It’s not uncommon to see these letters (or X or XX) right above the signature at the bottom of affectionate correspondence. But what is the meaning of XOXO, and why are these letters used?
The Meaning Of XOXO, and Its Origins
Like common customs and traditions found at weddings, using XOXO is a common societal custom in everyday life, so when we see those letters, we automatically know what it means. Kiss, Hug, Kiss, Hug.
According to Wikipedia, “Hugs and kisses, abbreviated in North America as XO or XOXO, is an informal term used for expressing sincerity, faith, love, or good friendship at the end of a written letter, email or text message. In the United Kingdom, the phrase ‘hugs and kisses’ is widely used but XO or XOXO are not (though X, XX etc. for ‘kisses’ is).”
But when was XOXO first used to express these affections?
The custom of placing X on envelopes, notes, and the bottom of letters to mean kisses dates back to the Middle Ages. Many of the common people were illiterate. Since they were unable to sign their names they put an X in its place.
X first started being used as a substitute for “Christ” by religious scholars about a millennia ago, with the X representing the Greek letter Chi, not the English X.
The Chi Rho, often represented with the letter X, was used as a holy symbol throughout Christian history as it represented the Greek word for Christ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ, which is actually how we ultimately got Xmas as an alternative name for Christmas. (So the term Xmas does not take Christ out of Christmas, but that’s another discussion).
Anyway, back to the symbol for kisses . . .
Photo Credit: KissClipart.com / Public Domain
Once the X was placed on the document, the signer then placed a kiss upon the X, in the same way they kissed the Bible when taking an oath. It was a display of their sworn oath.
With time, the X became the symbol of the kiss.
It is less clear as to why the O represents a hug. One theory refers to when Jewish immigrants were arriving in the United States. Not wanting to use a symbol of a cross, they instead used an O to sign documents.
While this use of O is quite similar to the use of X for signing documents, no one truly knows how O eventually came to be the written symbol for a hug.
A more simplified theory is that the X looks like two people kissing, and the O looks like two people embracing.
Another theory involves the game of tic-tac-toe.
Photo credit: delcreations / 123RF Stock Photo
I guess it’s possible that someone thought the X hugs were lonely, and wanted to pair it up with something. Since Xs are paired with Os on a tic-tac-to board, why not pair them to represent kisses and another form of affection? Hmmm, what would go with a kiss? Well, a hug of course!
Photo credit: embroiderypatterns / 123RF Stock Photo
Although no one can really be 100% sure of these origins, the combination of XOXO will forever be recognized as kisses and hugs.
XOXO represents many kisses and hugs, and is usually used for a romantic partner. A simple XO or just an X can be used romantically, but is also used for a friend or family member.
Why don’t we use just an O? Honestly, no one knows.
So what are your thoughts on the meaning of XOXO, and when and where the use of Xs and Os started? Let us know if you’ve heard of any different theories.
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Hearts, Joy, Love!
Jean
What a fun post – loved reading about the history and how the x’s and o’s came about
ha! there you go – I knew the first part of this but not the second!