swastika

[ swos-ti-kuh or, especially British, swas- ]
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noun
  1. a figure used as a symbol or an ornament in the Old World and in America since prehistoric times, consisting of a cross with arms of equal length, each arm having a continuation at right angles.

  2. this figure as the official emblem of the Nazi party and the Third Reich.

Origin of swastika

1
1850–55; <Sanskrit svastika, equivalent to su- good, well (cognate with Greek eu-eu-) + as- be (see is) + -ti- abstract noun suffix + -ka secondary noun suffix

Other words from swastika

  • swas·ti·kaed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for swastika

swastika

/ (ˈswɒstɪkə) /


noun
  1. a primitive religious symbol or ornament in the shape of a Greek cross, usually having the ends of the arms bent at right angles in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction

  2. this symbol with clockwise arms, officially adopted in 1935 as the emblem of Nazi Germany

Origin of swastika

1
C19: from Sanskrit svastika, from svasti prosperity; from the belief that it brings good luck

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012