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Elon Musk Breaks Down The Pronunciation & Meaning Of His Baby’s Name, X Æ A-12
By Thanussha Priyah, 08 May 2020
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Image via Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
On Monday, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and musician Grimes welcomed their baby son into the world. Once Musk had disclosed the name of his son as “X Æ A-12 Musk,” the internet was left with endless questions.
However, on Thursday, Musk explained his son’s one-of-a-kind name during Joe Rogan’s podcast. Musk revealed that the name is pronounced as, “X Ash A Twelve.”
Musk stated that the X is basically the letter X, while “Æ” is pronounced as “Ash.” The character is pronounced as “Ash” in various languages including Danish and Norwegian, though some pronounce it as the letters “A, E.”
He then divulged the name was mostly Grimes’ idea and his contribution was the “A-12” at the end. Musk detailed that A-12 referred to “Archangel 12, the precursor to the SR-71, [the] coolest plane ever.”
Grimes previously gave her interpretation of the name on Twitter, stating that the A-12 refers to their favorite aircraft, as it is “great in battle, but non-violent.” She added that the name of the aircraft, Archangel, is the title of her favorite song.
To her, the X equals to the unknown variable, while the “Æ” ligature was her “elven spelling of Ai,” further explaining it as “love and/or artificial intelligence.”
The moniker, unfortunately, might not stand with the state of California, where the two reside in.
Matt Conens from the Office of Public Affairs of the California Department of Public Health told USA Today that the name cannot be registered in the state as only vital records with “the 26 alphabetical characters of the English language and appropriate punctuation such as hyphens, apostrophes, periods, and commas” are allowed.
Hear Musk’s explanation of his baby’s name at the 0:37 mark below.
[via CNET, cover image via Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com]
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