XOXO meaning in text messages
Let’s try to find out the meaning of XOXO in a modern world today. Young people sometimes feel complicated to express their feelings, so they use a comic styles, and it does not bother anyone. However, many have gone further, and in their messages, on the Internet, they use mysterious symbols and abbreviations, which are not easily understood by many.
What is XOXO?
Despite all of the origin theories of these symbols, the youth interprets everything in their way. XOXO is one of the most exciting sigh-off in the English language, which is used at the very end of the correspondence or SMS, a letter or a separate message in chat.
In fact, XOXO is not kind of abbreviation, it is a symbolic designation, that stands for “hugs and kisses.” The symbol X denotes bowed lips, as for a kiss; the symbol O indicates closed arms in when hugging.
A bit of history and some of the most common origin theories
It is impossible to be entirely sure about the origin of this symbols, and understand why XOXO meaning is “hugs and kisses.” Nevertheless, let’s try to find it out and start with the letter X.
In general, the writing of letter X refers to the times of the Middle Ages. Since at that time most of the people were uneducated and could not read and write. The X sign was often used as a signature in documents and treaties.
In other words, the X sign at the end of the document meant "I confirm" or "I agree." We also need to remember that X in the Christian world was a sign of Christ and the writing of the sign in letters or documents, literally meant: "In the name of Christ this is the truth" or "I'm telling you it’s true."
Church scholars began to use the sign X as an abbreviation of the name of Christ about ten centuries ago. Therefore, in modern interpretation, the term Xmas appeared as a contraction of first part of word Christmas.
In this sense, X began to be associated with a kiss, as people kiss the Bible and the crucifixion. According to another version.
In the middle of the 19th century, the symbol X began to mean a kiss. The first source in which this is indicated may be considered to be a printed article in the journal Aunt Judy. Where one of the characters notes that: "all these crosses mean kisses."
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If the origin of the symbol X is more or less clear, the O – meaning origin is not so apparently proved. Well, still there are some theories. Namely:
1. The emergence and distribution of the sign as a consequence of the immigration of Jews in the United States. As most of them arrived uneducated, they did not agree to sign the arriving document with the symbol X. Since they did not want to use the name of Christ in the form of a signature. Instead, they merely put the symbol O.
2. It is believed that if you look at the symbol O from the top and at the same time screw up your eyes, it seems that these looks like two people are hugging.
3. The symbol O looks like the lips, compressed for a kiss.
Still, what is XOXO meaning in texting?
Very often we can find the symbols XOXO in SMS, on various postcards, in the e-mail, in social networks chats and so on. The meaning of XOXO in chat language and emotions can be different, such as love, warm feelings, attraction or affection.
Often these symbols are also written separately. Do you know how many, for example, X, you need to write, or it does not matter? In the English-speaking countries, the following kind of “rule” is adopted: one X to be put for friends, two X for parents, and three X for lovers.
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Source: Legit.ng
