tilak

American  

[til-uhk] / ˈtɪl ək /

noun

plural

tilak, tilaks

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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Etymology

Origin of tilak

From the Sanskrit word tilaka

Example Sentences

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 Mādhavachāryas is said to consist of two white lines down the forehead and continued on to the nose where they meet, with a black vertical line between them.

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

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 Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane)