“XOXO” Meaning And Its Origin

Generally, XOXO is an informal phrase used to express love, good friendship, faith, and sincerity when concluding well-meaning messages, emails, or letters. Although some regions don’t use the phrases XOXO or XO, they use the abbreviations XX and X.

The use of X/x for “kisses” and O/o as hugs symbols on envelopes dates back to 1763 when Christian crosses were also drawn on documents to indicate honesty, faith, and sincerity. Since most people were illiterate, they used X as a symbol of a signature.

The use of O is more recent and was analogically created. However, there’s speculation on the internet that the source of the O is North America. In the US, Jewish immigrants often used the O to sign their documents instead of the cross or X. But what does XOXO mean? Literally, the meaning of XOXO is hugs and kisses.

“X” is a symbol for kissing

The X in the term XOXO has been used since medieval times. Initially, the X was used for religious practices (to symbolize Christ) but changed with time to be a way of signing documents with a “kiss” for love and affection.

“O” is a symbol of hugs

Since the two letters are easy to write, even for illiterate people, O symbolizes hugs, but only when combined with the letter X.

There are theories explaining why the O means “hugs,” which are even more made up than those explaining the meaning of X.

Some claim that O seems like the circling of the arms during a hug, while others claim that maybe it’s because it was used to sign documents by the Jewish immigrants, just like Christians used X as a signature.

The other often used XOXO variations include XO, X, SWAK (meaning “sent with a kiss”), and kiss, and hug emojis.

Examples

See you soon. XOXO

Love you and miss you. Xoxo

Take care. Xxxx

If you are still unsure of how to use xoxo or xxx in your messages, you can ask for help from English teachers online on LiveXP. Sign up and get a free trial lesson with any tutor on LiveXP.