swastika
Swastika (noun) means an ancient symbol made of a cross with each arm bent at a right angle, historically used across many cultures as a sign of good fortune, but today associated almost entirely with Nazi Germany and fascism. Example: “The museum explained the swastika's long pre-Nazi history in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain art.”
How to use swastika
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishAn ancient cross-shaped symbol now overwhelmingly linked to Nazism, even though it originally meant good luck in many older cultures.
In most Western contexts today the word and symbol carry an unavoidable Nazi association, regardless of its older meaning.
Word forms
- Plural
- swastikas
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The museum explained the _____'s long pre-Nazi history in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain art.
Etymology
Borrowed from Sanskrit svastika, built from su- ("good") and asti ("is"), together meaning roughly "a good-luck charm." The word entered English in 1871. From the 1930s it became strongly tied to the symbol used by the Nazi party (also called the Hakenkreuz, or "hooked cross").
Synonyms
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Rhymes for swastika
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