But another interpretation of the origin of xoxo is based more on the shape of the letters and what they could symbolize: the x would correspond to the lips that touch, and the o of an embrace seen from above. The symbol xoxo appeared in English in the nineteenth century. It contains letters that were probably not chosen at random. The word xoxo is a symbol of American origin: each x represents a kiss and each o a hug. XOXO is used as a term of affection. If you love someone and want to express affection, you can sign an email, text, or social media update with XOXO. People have used „x” to refer to kisses for hundreds of years. Long before the advent of smartphones, people signed cards with an „x” or more „x” to indicate love, specifically, kisses. This was a common practice in the Middle Ages, but at the time it meant something else. This disambiguation page lists the various topics and articles with the same name. What does XO mean? It always means hugs and kisses; It is a message of love and affection.
It differs from XOXO in that it only evokes hugs and kisses, not multiple hugs and kisses. Or, more likely, it`s simply easier to type on a smartphone keyboard. XOXO stands for hugs and kisses. Easy, right? The X stands for kiss and the O for hugs, so XOXO technically stands for kisses, hugs, kisses, hugs. Although many people in America shorten it to XO, which means kisses and hugs. Another possibility is that the O is used to represent hugs because it simply seems like someone is shaking their arms in a hugging gesture. It is also possible that the O stands for „hug” as it was previously associated with X from the game Tic-Tac-Toe. From Valentine`s Day cards to your mother`s messages, XOXO is a typical signature for showing love and affection. The X represents a kiss and the O a hug – but why? Now, the origins of these symbols are uncertain, but we can make some educated guesses about their origin. XOXO is also a movie. Released in 2016, XOXO follows the lives of six strangers whose lives intertwine during a crazy and frenetic night in the city. The film was directed and written by Christopher Louie and starred Sarah Hyland of Modern Family alongside Graham Phillips and Brett DelBuono.
It is possible that the X has also been associated with kisses because it looks like two curved lips. Regardless of its history, the letter X was used in letters to symbolize a kiss in the 1700s. The origins of how O came to represent an embrace are even more uncertain, though some link its use to illiterate Jewish immigrants who came to the United States and may have signed documents with an O. They did it unlike Christian X. Eventually, the letter became a hug. Reviews of XOXO were generally quite mixed. The film has an average rating of 5.3/10 on IMDB, with some users loving it, while others – the majority – found it a bit weak. Even critics weren`t very enthusiastic about the film. But on the other hand, the fact that there`s a movie that uses XOXO as its title proves how deeply ingrained the term is in our modern culture. Confused? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Online, XOXO is essentially the first tier for letter-based seals. They have many other acronyms like NSFW, IIRC, IMHO, ROTFL, LMAO and of course LOL, which means laughing out loud – not much love.
Despite the complicated origins of these symbols, it is now generally accepted that XOXO means „hugs and kisses”. In the UK, the use of XX (meaning „kisses”) as a signature is particularly popular, although the practice is less common in North America, where XOXO is the most common formulation. Similarly, the phrase appeared in advertisements and newspaper articles in the mid-1970s. But linguists don`t know how XOXO came to hugs and kisses. It`s really a mystery, something no one can explain. Its origins started with Tic Tac Toe, but eventually morphed into something completely different. But is this really the case? As with anything internet-based, the importance of XOXO is up for debate. According to The New Yorker, XOXO is actually used to convey a „mild condition,” but make sure you`re using it correctly, as a mistake can indicate strong sexual desire. The game (tic-tac-toe), which has its roots in ancient Egypt and Rome, was played with pebbles or coins until it was switched to paper.
„These are two of the simplest contrasting symbols that are easy for illiterate people to master,” says David Parlett, author of The Oxford History of Board Games. If you have a phone or a teenager/millennial in your home, you`ve probably seen the XOXO text. But what does XOXO really mean? Like other colloquial expressions on the Internet, SMH for example or Yeet, these abbreviations can be confusing at first. XOXO is a popular slang term in itself, but like popular things, it is now evolving and changing with new variations. In what is perhaps the most meta thing of all time, XOXO is now often abbreviated in an even shorter version – XO The use of X as a symbol is thought to date back to the Middle Ages, when most people could neither read nor write. They used the letter X – or a cross – to sign documents as a sign of faith and sincerity. They also embraced the cross as another symbol of trustworthiness: a literal „seal with a kiss.” In these cases, the X represented the sign of the cross and Christ because of its connection to Chi-Rho, a Christian symbol. The first two letters of Christ in Greek (ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ) are chi and rho, and chi resembles X. In the Middle Ages, letters were the ONLY form of long-distance communication. And people would seal their envelopes with a Christian cross and then kiss it. This was done to signify sincerity, faith and honesty. This tradition has continued into modern times, but has lost its theological significance – the cross has simply become a kiss or a concept of affection.
Learn the charming words you can use to describe your loved one. In the Middle Ages, it was customary to sign a document with an x referring to the Christian cross in case you could not write your name. The person who signed an x kissed this symbol to prove his honesty, so the x was associated with the idea of kissing. OK, so we`ve covered XOXO. But what about other popular SMS abbreviations? As mentioned earlier, there is a lot of text slang online, on forums, in WhatsApp group chats, and on Facebook. Here is a list of the 10 most commonly used and popular SMS abbreviations and their meanings. As a reminder: XOXO is synonymous with gentle affection, XO also means gentle affection. And XOX means I want to jump your bones. So if a girl ends up messaging you with XO, it means she`s sending you hugs and kisses. When a boy finishes a message with XO, it means that he is sending hugs and kisses to the recipient. The gender of the sender does not affect the meaning of the sentence. XO stands for hugs and kisses, no matter who sends it.
For the article with a homophonic title, see XO. There is also a version of this symbol with only kisses: xx. In French, to say completely the same thing, we would write kisses or big kisses at the end of the message. The use of this symbol is intended for correspondence between parents. It is mainly teenagers and young adults who use it when exchanging ideas with each other. For example, „XOX” indicates intense sexual desire, so if you see this in a Tinder message, chances are your date is going well. Not to be confused with „XOX”, „XO” is still a term used for mild to moderate affection, such as when you send your aunt a message thanking her for Christmas presents. So we know why „x” means kiss, but how the hell does „o” mean hug? It`s actually a really interesting story; And the one that is still quite vague today. The origins of „x” and „o” used together are often associated with the tic-tac-toe game, and at a time when literacy rates were extremely low, „x” and an „o” were two symbols that illiterate people were familiar with.
and could use to communicate. I could go on, but I will not. There are literally thousands of textual slang terms used in the world today. And these are only those based on the English language. Once you start looking at other languages, you`ll get thousands more. It is not at all clear how the symbols of the old game, Tic Tac Toe, changed their meaning and began to signify hugs and kisses.