swastika

[ swos-ti-kuhor, especially British, swas- ]

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.

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

Other Words From

• swasti·kaed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of swastika¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of swastika¹

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

Example Sentences

I personally prefer the Ukrainian official flag, and the emblem of Lviv—a kind looking lion—to a Swastika.

From The Daily Beast

Lively is the author of a book entitled “The Pink Swastika,” which argues that German Nazism was a gay conspiracy.

From The Daily Beast

Madonna's Swastika Kerfuffle: Madonna has now entered the political sphere -- and unfortunately not in the vein of Hilary Clinton.

From The Daily Beast

The author of The Pink Swastika, Lively is more than a simple opponent of gay rights.

From The Daily Beast

The foregoing explanations relate only to the present accepted name “Swastika.”

From Project Gutenberg

The ordinary size of the Swastika, in very primitive times, is under a third of an inch in diameter.

From Project Gutenberg

Whatever else the sign Swastika may have stood for, and however many meanings it may have had, it was always ornamental.

From Project Gutenberg

Professor Goodyear gives the title of “Meander” to that form of Swastika which bends two or more times (fig. 11).

From Project Gutenberg

The Swastika is normal, with arms crossing at right angles, the ends bent at right angles and to the right.

From Project Gutenberg