WYE, a river of Wales, which rising on the confines of Cardiganshire, and running south-east, divides the counties of Radnor and Brecknock; then crossing Herefordshire, it runs south and falls into the mouth of the Severn at Chepstow.
X or x, is the 22d letter of our alphabet; and a double consonant. It was not used by the Hebrews or ancient Greeks; for as it is a compound letter, the ancients, who used great simplicity in their writings, expressed this letter by its component letters cs. Neither have the Italians this letter, but express it by ss. X begins no word in our language but such as are of Greek original; and is in few others but what are of Latin derivation; inperplex, reflexion, defluxion, &c. We often express this sound by single letters, as cks, in backs, necks; by ks, in books, breaks; by cs, in accents, accidents; by ct, in oilton, untion, &c. The English and French pronounce it like ex or ks; the Spaniards like e before a, viz. Alexandro, as if it were Alexandro. In numerals it expresseth 10, whence in old Roman manuscripts it is used for decarius; and as such seems to be made of two V's placed one over the other. When a dash is added over it, thus , it signifies 10,000.