Xx

X (also x) /eks/ noun, symbol

m noun {pi Xs, X’s, x’s /’eksiz/) 1 [C, U] the 24th letter of the English alphabet £ 3* ft & 24 ^ _:

¹Xylophone’ begins with (an) X/‘X. * xylophone — ill \>X ¥ 2 [U] (mathematics W) used to represent a number whose value is not mentioned ( ft^A:ftl ffc ) : The equation is impossible for any value ofx greater than 2.^x^f2 5t, 3 [U] a person,

a number, an influence, etc. that is not known or not named AfthftA ( SK». ) ; AflfTOA ( i&ft

I£P|n]^ ) : let’s suppose X knows what Y is doing. X ft] it Y IE£Tff Ao — see also X chromosome, X-RATED, X-RAY

a symbol 1 the number io in Roman numerals (

) 10 2 used to represent a kiss at the end of a letter, etc. ( > : Love from

Kathy XXX. MA 3 used to

show a vote for sb in an election (

' ) : Write X beside the candidate of your choice.

£ {ft A # ii $T — 7" X*, 4 used to show

that a written answer is wrong ( )

— compare tick n.( 1) 5 used to show position, for example on a map ( ffj UU/f'M Aiv, £n#ifelI|J: ) : X marks the spot. * X

xan than gum /'zaenBaen gAm; /Mwf -Ban/ noun [u] {technical Ainj a chemical substance that is put in food to make it thicker itfl&K, HflliK (

Mfc )

'X chromosome noun (biology 4) a sex chromosome. Two X chromosomes exist in the cells of human females. In human males each cell has one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. * X Vk&W

xenon /'zennn; ‘zi:-; NAmE -na:n/ noun [U] {symb Xe) a chemical element. Xenon is a gas that is found in very small quantities in the air and is used in some special electric lamps. oC

xeno pho bia /.zena'faubia; NAmE -'fou-/ noun [U] {disapproving) a strong feeling of dislike or fear of people from other countries 11fRtb ( iMthS A (ft JA fit) : a campaign against racism and xenophobia lx. /t ft ± X fll Ml M 'If W 35 ih ► xenophobic /-'faubik; NAmE -Too-/ adj.

xenotransplantation /ziinau.traensplain'teijn; -.traenz-; NAmE -plaen't-/ noun [U] {medical IS) the process of taking organs from animals and putting them into humans for medical purposes ( Aft (ft ) ##

Xerox™ /'ziaroks; NAmE 'zirarks/ noun a process for producing copies of letters, documents, etc. using a special machine; a copy made using this process A £p; Ifetis % £pft: a Xerox machine MfcM. MfJl

xerox /'ziaroks; NAmE 'zirarks/ verb [VN] to make a copy of a letter, document, etc. by using Xerox or a similar process % £p ; g rfrj Em photocopy _: Could you xerox this letter, please? if SAP—T&7tfit£f®J?

Xhosa /'ko:sa; 'kau-; NAmE 'kou-/ noun [U] a language spoken by the Xhosa people in South Africa ( i^j # ) f4

xi /sai; zai; ksai; gzai/ noun the 14th letter of the Greek alphabet (5, $) 14

Xiang (also Hsiang) /Jii'aeq/ noun [U] a form of Chinese spoken mainly in Hunan Miff; #0 A W;

-xion o -ion

XL /,eks 'el/ abbr. extra large (used for sizes of things, especially clothes) # A^j ( ) : an XL T-shirt

Xmas /'krismas; 'eksmas/ noun [C, U] {informal) used as a short form of ‘Christmas’, usually in writing M T' ( Christmas _: A merry Xmas to all our readers!

XML /.eks em 'el/ abbr. {computing it) Extensible Mark-up Language (a system used for marking the structure of text on a computer, for example when creating website

pages) virmwmzn, ^trrnuii^ < umMM®

'X-rated adj. (especially of a film/movie A fa ffel£) that people under 18 are not allowed to see because it contains sex and/or violence * X 7ft 07 # 7 7 A S frrJ

X-ray /'eks rei/ noun, verb

m noun 1 [usually pi ] a type of radiation that can pass through objects that are not transparent and make it possible to see inside them * X ft: an X-ray

machine (= one that produces X-rays) H A $t it fll 2 a photograph made by X-rays, especially one showing bones or organs in the body * X AM A: a chest X-ray ® X jt M It o The doctor studied the X-rays of her lungs. 7 X AM Mo o to take an X-ray

77S X AM ft 3 a medical examination using X-rays Wi X It^jffiit^llI had to go for an X-ray. flcffA

m x aMo

■ verb [VN] to photograph and examine bones and organs inside the body, using X-rays 111 X : He

had to have his chest X-rayed. X Af&ilto

xylem /'zailam/ noun [U] {biology 4.) the material in plants that carries water and minerals upwards from the root

) — compare phloem

xylo-phone /’zailafaun; NAmE -foon/ noun a musical instrument made of two rows of wooden bars of different lengths that you hit with two small sticks — compare glockenspiel — picture c> page R8