Iron Cross

American  

noun

1. a German medal awarded for outstanding bravery or service during wartime.

2. (lowercase) an upright, crosslike position held between the rings, with the arms fully extended laterally and the legs held together and pointed downward.

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Iron Cross British  

noun

1. the highest decoration for bravery awarded to the German armed forces in wartime: instituted in 1813

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Etymology

Origin of Iron Cross

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Already, German tanks and armored personnel carriers, emblazoned with the military’s black Iron Cross insignia, are training in Lithuania’s Rudninkai forest close to the border with Belarus, Russia’s closest ally.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

But after the bodies were taken away and the granary was handed back, Mr Bufton's parents, Jack and Muriel, found the lost Iron Cross embellished with the swastika.

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2023

“On the Camino, they tell you to bring a small rock or pebble to leave at an Iron Cross monument at the highest point in the trek,” Harkess said.

From Washington Times • Jun. 27, 2020

The magazine features profiles of officers who were awarded the Knight’s Cross, a version of the Iron Cross, which predated the rise of the Nazis but was appropriated by them.

From New York Times • Jul. 29, 2013

Herr Seligmann fought in the Great War, where he was wounded and earned the Iron Cross for his bravery.

From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti