Meanings
sign of the cross1
plural signs of the cross · alternative sign of the Cross
- ChristianityA gesture of the hand moving over the front of one's body, or over an object, in the shape of a cross made as part of ritual or to invoke divine protection.
If a morsel of food fell off your plate, the advice of one contemporary document was to pick it up, make the sign of the cross over it, season it well - and then eat it. The sign of the cross was the antiseptic of the year 1000.
1999, Robert Lacey, Danny Danziger, The Year 1000: What life was like at the turn of The First Millennium, London: Abacus, published 2000, page 122
sign of the Cross2
plural signs of the Cross
- alternativeAlternative form of sign of the cross.
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Latinsignum
- Englishsign of the cross
A calque translation of Latin signum crucis.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 十字聖號 /十字圣号, 聖號 /圣号
- 十字聖號 /十字圣号 (shízì shènghào)gesture
- 聖號 /圣号 (shènghào)gesture
Czech křížování, znamení kříže
- křížovánígesture
- znamení křížegesture
Danish korsets tegn
- korsets tegngesture
Dutch kruisteken
- kruistekengesture
Finnish ristinmerkki
- ristinmerkkigesture
French signe de croix
- signe de croixgesture
German Kreuzzeichen, Bekreuzigung
- Kreuzzeichengesture
- Bekreuzigunggesture
Greek σταυρός
- σταυρός (stavrós)gesture
Hungarian keresztvetés
- keresztvetésgesture
Irish comhartha na croise, fíor na croise
- comhartha na croisegesture
- fíor na croisegesture
Italian segno della croce
- segno della crocegesture
Latin signum crucis
- signum crucisgesture
Norwegian Bokmål korstegnet
- korstegnetgesture
Polish znak krzyża
- znak krzyżagesture
Portuguese sinal da cruz
- sinal da cruzgesture
Russian кре́стное зна́мение
- кре́стное зна́мение (kréstnoje známenije)gesture
Spanish santiguamiento, señal de la cruz
- santiguamientogesture
- señal de la cruzgesture
Swahili ishara ya msalaba
- ishara ya msalabagesture
Swedish korstecken
- korsteckengesture
Tagalog antanda
- antandagesture
Turkish istavroz
- istavrozgesture
Ukrainian хресне знамення, знак хреста
- хресне знамення (xresne znamennja)gesture
- знак хреста (znak xresta)gesture
Vietnamese dấu Thánh Giá
- dấu Thánh Giágesture
Cite this entry
sign of the cross. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sign%20of%20the%20cross
“sign of the cross.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sign%20of%20the%20cross. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sign of the cross,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sign%20of%20the%20cross.
Source: sign of the cross on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.