swastika

American  

[swos-ti-kuh, swas-] / ˈswɒs tɪ kə, ˈswæs- /

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.

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swastika British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• swastikaed adjective

Etymology

Origin of swastika

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

Example Sentences

The Coast Guard had signed off on a policy on November 13 that downgraded the classification of symbols such as swastikas and nooses, according to a report from the Washington Post.

From Salon

Rep. Dave Taylor responded to reports that a flag bearing a swastika was spotted in his office on Wednesday, calling it “vile and deeply inappropriate.”

From Salon

On the reverse of the coin is a design that could be a cross or could be a swastika, then recognised as a good luck symbol, surrounded by an attempt at a Latin inscription.

From BBC

In 2017, she was interviewed by a local TV station after her school in Kansas was vandalised with a Nazi swastika.

From BBC

Once on the island they tear down a swastika and replace it with the hammer and sickle of the Soviet Union.

From BBC