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• tilak
  tilak

  noun

  a distinctive spot of colored powder or paste worn on the forehead by Hindu men and women as a religious symbol.
• Tilak
  Tilak

  noun

  Bal Gangadhar (ˈbæl ˈɡæŋədɑː), also called Lokamanya. 1856–1920, Indian nationalist leader, educationalist, and scholar, who founded (1914) the Indian Home Rule League

tilak

American  

[til-uhk] / ˈtɪl ək /

noun

• tilak,
  plural
• tilaks
  plural

1. a distinctive spot of colored powder or paste worn on the forehead by Hindu men and women as a religious symbol.

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Tilak ¹ British  

/ ˈtɪlək /

noun

1. Bal Gangadhar (ˈbæl ˈɡæŋədɑː), also called Lokamanya. 1856–1920, Indian nationalist leader, educationalist, and scholar, who founded (1914) the Indian Home Rule League

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tilak ² British  

/ ˈtɪlək /

noun

1. a coloured spot or mark worn by Hindus, esp on the forehead, often indicating membership of a religious sect, caste, etc, or (in the case of a woman) marital status

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tilak
  plural
• tilaks
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of tilak

From the Sanskrit word tilaka

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tilak Tilak tilaks

Mr. Gandhi’s forehead has often been adorned with a red dot, or tilak, a mark of Hindu piety.

From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2022

Mr. Chaturvedi was making rounds of the area’s factories wearing a red tilak, the smudge of vermilion applied after Hindu prayers, and a Los Angeles Lakers cap.

From New York Times ● Mar. 24, 2017

After receiving the Hindu religious tilak mark on their foreheads, the Carters met villagers.

From Time Magazine Archive

The tilak of the Vallabhachāryas is said to consist of two white lines down the forehead, forming a half-circle at its base and a white dot between them.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India Volume II by R. V. (Robert Vane) Russell

His associates asked him why he had dared to alter his tilak or sect-mark.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India Volume II by R. V. (Robert Vane) Russell

Another neighbour, Bhavesh Shah, said Machchhar often returned to the family home in the Mumbai suburb of Tilak Nagar and was always ready to help.

From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026

Joon Sung Park, chief executive of AI startup Simile, and Tilak Mandadi and Sri Narasimhan of CVS Health discuss the practical applications, accuracy and enterprise potential of AI-driven human behavior simulations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Before the powerplay was over, Archer also had Tilak Varma edge behind, the first time India have lost five wickets in the powerplay of a men's T20 international.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

The presence of Abhishek, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel would appear to only increase the importance of England off-spinner Jacks.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026

Tilak, a Chitpavan Brahman of considerable erudition, who had graduated with honours at Bombay, had, however, inherited his full share of Chitpavan hostility to British ascendency.

From Indian Unrest by Sir Valentine Chirol

I wore these spots of shine and silver like tilaks, the marks of colour that we Hin­dus wear on our foreheads as symbols of the divine.

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

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