The alphabetâs wayward child [Quartz](%2F%2Fqz.com/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/fcEIiTz8ay6Fcw8CpREoBr_7d960rWXXnM3U3sop2rI=304) %2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fquartz-obsession%2F1850514017%2Fthe-letter-x-marks-the-spot%2F/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/m8qsU4jKC2aEZcnFz7TFcTKYkxCUJfH_wV561XX2NqI=304 Photo: Reuters (Wolfgang Rattay) The alphabetâs wayward child The letter âX,â the 24th letter of the English alphabet, is something of a rebel. A marker of the mysterious, the explicit, and the extraordinary, both a letter and a numeralââXâ is simply an unparalleled symbol (no pun intended). On a test, it is a wrong answer, but at the bottom of a letter, it denotes affection. It means a strike in a bowling alley, a cancellation on a flight board, or an unsolved quantity in an equation. In English, it is pronounced like a âZâ (âxylophoneâ) or âKSâ (âfoxâ) or âGZâ (âexitâ), or in borrowed forms, it sometimes becomes silent altogether (âfaux pasâ). With all this variation, itâs no wonder that the mutable letter is popular for branding, naming, and the labeling of discoveries. Letâs see what else we can dig upââX,â after all, marks the spot. Origin story %2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fquartz-obsession%2F1850514017%2Fthe-letter-x-marks-the-spot%2F/2/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/dls4KVpU7PhU882Z_g_ET9y69h6gfJR8zDW7syw4FmE=304 Gif: (Giphy) How the letter âXâ came to be Some linguists theorize it comes from the Phoenician letter samekh, pronounced with a hard âs,â [the meaning of which](%2F%2Fscholarsmine.mst.edu%2Fcgi%2Fviewcontent.cgi%3Farticle=1197%26context=artlan_phil_facwork/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/NyoyzNogR8Zz-KCrn-BdCcoifBJNfyq_VkzGdP_5gEU=304) (pdf) may have been something akin to âpillar,â âpeg,â âsupport,â or quite literally âfish,â given its resemblance to a fish skeleton. According to one theory, the Greeks borrowed samekh, which became chi (X) in the Ionic alphabet and was pronounced with a [hard âKâ sound](%2F%2Fpages.ucsd.edu%2F~dkjordan%2Fresources%2FPronouncingGreek.html/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/1SkYUJmQGWRM_XMfEYBO15HB9TZwOykMCw2d0cTj-b8=304). The Etruscans, and later the Romans, adopted the Ionic letter, but [paired it](%2F%2Fwww.dictionary.com%2Fe%2Fletter-x%2F/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/uhJU3hj8VPUu4A4XWI655kRImln-xBnSfJtCr5q_MLQ=304) with the âXâ sound (pronounced âksâ) used by the Chalcidians of western Greece, forming the letter âXâ in the Latin language. The evolution of âXâ likely took place over thousands of years, with the Phoenician writing system emerging around 1050 BCE, the Roman alphabet around 800 BCE, and the Latinate letters we are familiar with today around the [7th century CE](%2F%2Fwww.britannica.com%2Ftopic%2FLatin-alphabet/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/OsaMA0cBgAUn60Sn-ydkpyneZDl6nfRxA4fQ_g9jXC4=304). Fun fact! Long before âXXXâ became a mark of explicit material, it was a symbol found on another taboo commodity: moonshine. During Prohibition, the triple âXâ label indicated the bootleg [was triple distilled](%2F%2Fwww.beerdelux.com%2Fbeer-joys%2Fwhy-did-jugs-of-moonshine-have-three-x.html/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/Iwk9kZedB4-U-KDlmZ7FdduYsz8Fz5WrE8QgRbliJyw=304), and therefore had a higher, purer alcohol content. This explains why you tend to see it on bottle labels in old cartoons. Explain it like Iâm 5! X, the unsolved symbol âXâ may have started as a letter, but it eventually it found its way into mathematics. There are [two leading theories](%2F%2Fgizmodo.com%2Fwhy-do-we-use-the-letter-x-to-represent-the-unknown-1588933259/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/9k6z_EhpsodCDeluGWcVr1PQqx9RcBVBzShMacJabzI=304) as to how that came to be. The [first theory](%2F%2Fwww.pbs.org%2Fempires%2Fislam%2Finnoalgebra.html/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/xGoL8A2IdYAftlr2XFYQnTXMVy2AqUm_Ozedf-_dMiY=304) dates back about 1,200 years ago, to a mathematical treatise by Persian polymath and so-called father of algebra, al-KhwÄrizmÄ«. In his work, the Arabic word for âthing,â shayâ, is used to refer to unknown quantities. That in turn was translated into medieval Spanish and written as xei, which may have eventually been abbreviated to just âX.â A competing theory is that the use of âXâ in math originated with French philosopher René Descartes in his treatise La Géométrie (1637), which used lowercase letters at the end of the alphabetâx, y, and zâto signify unknown quantities. While Descartes may not have come up with the idea first (he has a record of [poaching ideas](%2F%2Fqz.com%2F982044%2Fdescartes-most-famous-idea-was-first-articulated-by-a-woman%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Weekly_Obsession%26utm_content=1850514017/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/t-m6KE1INBmyTUKz2wcFYlFLLiciMB6XGJb-L9ce4IQ=304) from others), it could be that he popularized the convention. Portrait of interest %2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fquartz-obsession%2F1850514017%2Fthe-letter-x-marks-the-spot%2F/3/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/6eGUzmMBu5fUaWghD_VVLabpvPeXJnEXRFzDjjYVth4=304 Image: (John Singer Sargent) Madame X The painting Portrait of Madame X (1883-1884) by American artist John Singer Sargent caused quite the stir among the Parisian beau monde when it was exhibited in the famous Salon of the Academie des Beaux-Arts in 1884. The sensual and mysterious depiction of its subject, socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, was met with mixed reviews. The original painting showed a sparkling strap on her dress slipping suggestively down one shoulder, and the overall vision was so bold for its time, and [caused such a controversy](%2F%2Fwww.metmuseum.org%2Fblogs%2Fnow-at-the-met%2F2016%2Fhow-madame-x-came-to-the-met/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/HALXGTgUiuvLTLV0hKg5ncWedD2BUm6XSrOekVqKOFI=304), that Sargent was compelled to move to London permanently. Originally the painting was named [Portrait de Mme ***](%2F%2Fdrawpaintacademy.com%2Fmadame-x%2F/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/CDkivPbc9tmjegmDTfNpNLhObXep3ayvYzJjRU0ZXHs=304), but Sargent later changed it to Madame X, lending that extra je ne sais quoi. In 1916, when Sargent [sold the painting](%2F%2Fwww.bbc.com%2Fculture%2Farticle%2F20141222-who-was-the-mysterious-madame-x/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/RTXeXbf85ZjTPrIdISA1vHgFzam-BySzg3AJd6gVA0U=304) to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, he [reportedly said](%2F%2Fwww.metmuseum.org%2Fart%2Fcollection%2Fsearch%2F12127/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/s44sE7FeyZgl3Qk_bQQ3GemQ6nyin5PZdiqIb2eKhZM=304): âI suppose it is the best thing I have done.â Pop quiz Which âXâ-named individual said: âYou know I believe true balance lies somewhere between rage and serenity.â A. Malcolm X B. Xenophon C. Pope Pius X D. Professor X The x-act answer can be found at the bottom. Watch this! %2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fquartz-obsession%2F1850514017%2Fthe-letter-x-marks-the-spot%2F/4/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/UllaQ7coqtAJLaG7tvqVCR_Zz509ygxMzrAMcDivFPg=304 Gif: (Giphy) The hunt for treasure The famous line â[X marks the spot](%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv=dvywOjh_hdY%26ab_channel=elderrod/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/IBg3_Us5uivOIVpbkKWLWUqfoMswOR_tI8r-mj1gcbE=304)â was once delivered by none other than Harrison Ford in the film Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989). Hereâs a clip of that scene, and while youâre at it, check out [John Williamsâs original song](%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv=i5H65-smy7E%26ab_channel=JohnWilliams-Topic/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/TAxjFX7ut7c00bGQXNTkxt8BaxQMpPAsg55b1SMBEM4=304) of the same name, composed for the film. Listed Elon Muskâs X obsession âXâ is a popular letter to use for brandingâjust look at Xerox, Xbox, Roblox, Clorox, Xfinity, Gas-X, to name a few. But there is no greater devotee to the letter, perhaps, [than Elon Musk](%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2022%2F10%2F06%2Ftechnology%2Felon-musk-x.html/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/IqNQKNbC1ehccCF0re7XW6ONIWqnN4FX992wJ_HX2bY=304). X.com: The domain was claimed in 1999 by Musk and three business partners who were founders of an online bank. Following a merger with Confinity in 2000, Peter Thiel took over the company and it was renamed PayPal. Musk [bought back the domain](%2F%2Fhypebeast.com%2F2017%2F7%2Felon-musk-x-com-domain-paypal/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/R0_h0XaKkMZOcMhbbLje0LhSvy8uzwP9xiUxwSpef_Q=304) from PayPal in 2017. The site still [remains blank](%2F%2Fx.com%2F/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/qPzsGjLr9Vi1QEQe89DBxIgnr7veSXE4pGYIqY2qHBM=304). SpaceX: Muskâs ambitions to enter the space industry took off in 2002 with the founding of the private spacecraft and satellite company. Model X: The name given to one of Muskâs [Tesla models](%2F%2Ftesla-info.com%2Fmodel-history%2FMX/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/0wFsT9sEYae_iFnrUbU9FROEfbpCg60I3s8SN4bzrn4=304) that began production in 2015. X Corp: The Twitter owner recently renamed the social media platform [X Corp](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Felon-musk-is-rebranding-twitter-as-x-corp-1850324904%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Weekly_Obsession%26utm_content=1850514017/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/O_t_nwrq_rV1xhLbPJoaiSX2aHDu7qqedzyW6SBLAOA=304) in alignment with his ambition of creating an â[everything app](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fsuperapps-chinese-tech-ecosystem-tiktok-wechat-1850417331%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Weekly_Obsession%26utm_content=1850514017/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/x2iMofqx61oGvsFnvjQhYjqFr4RKdT1sL-Q_EceZnJE=304).â X: That superapp, which takes a page from Chinaâs WeChat, has been dubbed âXââthough much else about the project remains a mystery. Musk has said his Twitter purchase was all part of [a grander plan](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Felon-musk-wechat-twitter-everything-app-1850414291%2F%3Futm_source=email%26utm_medium=Quartz_Weekly_Obsession%26utm_content=1850514017/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/vLRWvAC0NULaDDAgnyLTHZMlQsj7espADFc353dFO-I=304). X à A-12: A different category entirely, this string of letters and numbers is in fact the name of one of Muskâs children with Canadian singer Grimes. The childâs first name is âX,â and full name is pronounced â[X Ash A Twelve](%2F%2Fwww.theverge.com%2Ftldr%2F2020%2F5%2F7%2F21251107%2Felon-musk-baby-name-x-ae-a-12-grimes-son-pronunciation/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/W9zRkoy3bqNIvRQcvqK9AdOZWnpCLmiBvYEfRjg09cY=304).â Their second child was named âExa Dark Sideræl Musk,â but that name has [reportedly been changed](%2F%2Fwww.insider.com%2Fgrimes-change-daughter-elon-musk-name-symbol-why-exa-dark-2023-3/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/VUaUJ7cdhpuXGnKRqoMJj1UMTZzMXFuR-6jlgZokUvU=304) by Grimes to simply the letter âY.â Muskâs eldest child, Saxon, also received an âXâ in his name. Poll Which is the superior âXâ logo? - [The X-Factor](%2F%2Flogos.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FThe_X_Factor_(UK_TV_series)/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/nBq5n0Gsrpz9nQGF86SgSmZG1d1joDtvDXg3baPA-2c=304) (canât resist a little camp and sparkle)
- [SpaceX](%2F%2Fwww.spacex.com%2F/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/ZTmi5byO2B0FngKD0iXMYdXXpnoKtVAQUOZNO7ejWUs=304), itâs sleek and futuristic
- [Xena the Warrior Princess](%2F%2Fen.picmix.com%2Fstamp%2Fxena-warrior-princess-logo-1032140/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/KGsXfb5RjWcEX0Z4ZYm35FSikPP-K2ETlxdgajJNnOs=304) defeats all other logos in battle Make your X on the line by answering our poll ([itâll just take a few seconds](%2F%2Fwww.surveymonkey.com%2Fr%2F5CBX68N/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/rsW5m1uTu3xyRwXh8uqNVw3bHvIanyKJ-PvIeANc5PY=304)). ð¬Letâs talk! In last weekâs poll about [happiness](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fquartz-obsession%2F1850490729%2Fhappiness-what-s-the-secret/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/NPcTog914r2JYw7Lhoclm1x8Nxuilvk5OxIb2NG64Xk=304), you were basically evenly split between being happy as a clam, happy as a room without a roof, and happy as a 50-year-old making $127,000 per year (statistically, the ideal scenario). ð¤ [Tweet this!](%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fintent%2Ftweet%3Furl=https%253A%252F%252Fqz.com%252F1850514017%26via=qz%2520obsession%26text=The%2520letter%2520X%253A%2520Marks%2520the%2520spot/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/jx0E04XUlAmendYSOSzi-SVrhT9qha4OrH9oEkoQgIo=304) ð¤ [What did you think of todayâs email?](mailto:talk@qz.com?cc=&subject=The%20letter%20X%20&body=) ð¡ [What should we obsess over next?](mailto:talk@qz.com?cc=&subject=Obsess%20over%20this%20next.&body=) Todayâs email was written by [Julia Malleck](%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Ftxt_julia%3Flang=en/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/IbAFmPniPJtA1UVWO4JOZyKHdLUNOd4Drtx-Kk_sIcw=304)(a relates-heavily-with-Mulder X-Files fan), edited and produced by [Annaliese Griffin](%2F%2Fauthory.com%2FAnnalieseGriffin/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/uUspNImpptoEQhn6wXQLWy5NwCpGBr05tWrFthhI8ds=304) (lacks a middle name and occasionally uses âXâ as a middle initial on forms), and, of course, brought to you by the letter X. The correct answer is D., Professor X, a.k.a. Charles Xavier from X-Men. [ð View or share this email online.](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Femails%2Fquartz-obsession%2F1850514017%2Fthe-letter-x-marks-the-spot%2F/5/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/_WeRZyS_sRQ0aIPglSEkF9DouGx60LtgVQU1B7U-9O4=304) 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104 © 2023 G/O Media Inc. [Unsubscribe](%2F%2Fqz.com%2Fnewsletter%2Funsubscribe%3FsubscriptionToken=4da3ee5afa774c51f11017f8d0e31196da52e648-113874%26utm_source=quartz_newsletter%26utm_medium=email%26utm_campaign=2023-06-07/1/010001889766ab92-e5c882f6-0a01-40bf-b36a-8b162fb01050-000000/lfDJj-3FyxOgtt-hFCQFJvx3xMQz9cideKZoqpaY8r8=304)