Meanings
swastika1
plural swastikas
- countableA cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle to the right or to the left, used as a religious symbol by various ancient and modern civilizations, but now mainly seen and used in the West (with arms angled to the right) as a symbol of Nazism and fascism.
It is clear from archaeological finds that they enjoyed wearing Christian crosses, though they might enliven these with such symbols as the Indian swastika which Buddhists had brought them.
2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 2703 more examples
This was signed by Dana Da, who added pentacles and pentagrams, and a crux ansata, and half-a-dozen swastikas, and a Triple Tau to his name, just to show that he was all he laid claim to be.
1888, Rudyard Kipling, “The Sending of Dana Da”, in In Black and White, Folio Society, published 2005, pages 423–4A GOP office in Hillsborough, North Carolina, was firebombed over the weekend, with a swastika and the words “Nazi Republicans leave town or else” spray painted on an adjacent building, according to local officials.
2016 October 16, Eric Bradner and Adrienne Shih, “Local GOP office in North Carolina firebombed”, in CNNAuthorities in Connecticut are investigating after swastikas were found drawn on a high school campus in Stamford for the second time since Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel earlier this month, the school district said.
2023 October 30, Sara Smart and Elizabeth Wolfe, “Swastikas found drawn on Connecticut high school campus for second time since Israel-Hamas war ignited, district says”, in CNNSynonyms: crooked cross, cross cramponned, cross cramponnée, cross cramponny, fylfot, lauburu, manji, thunder cross
- metonymicallyuncountablefascismNazi rule.
"Is that what you think of me? I believe in the Grail, not the Swastika!"
1989, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, spoken by Dr. Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody)1 more example
“I can’t imagine anyone believes in Communist culprits instead of a contract job commissioned on behalf of the swastika.”
2011, Rudolph Herzog, translated by Jefferson Chase, Dead Funny: Humor in Hitler's Germany, Brooklyn: Melville House, →ISBN, page 36Synonyms: hakenkreuz
Swastika2
- A female given name from Sanskrit used in India.
Swastika3
- An unincorporated community in Timiskaming district, Ontario, Canada.
Swastika4
- Former name of Brilliant: an unincorporated community in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle to the right or to the left, used as a religious symbol by various ancient and modern civilizations, but now mainly seen and used in the West (with arms angled to the right) as a symbol of Nazism and fascism.
nounNazi rule.
left-facing; symbolizing the night or the tantric aspects of Kali
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe official emblem of the Nazi Party and the Third Reich; a cross with the arms bent at right angles in a clockwise direction
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
swastika · noun
- Sanskritस्वस्तिक
- Englishswastika
Learned borrowing from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक (svastika), from सु- (su-, “good, well”) + अस्ति (asti), a verbal abstract of the root of the verb "to be", स्वस्ति (svasti) thus meaning "well-being" — and the diminutive suffix क (ka); hence "little thing associated with well-being", corresponding roughly to "lucky charm". First attestation in English in 1871, a Sanskritism that replaced the Grecian term gammadion. From 1932 onwards it often referred specifically to the version used by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (also called the "hooked cross", or German Hakenkreuz).
More words from Sanskrit
Full word history & related roots →Swastika · proper noun
- Sanskritस्वस्तिका
- Sanskritस्वस्तिका
- EnglishSwastika
Borrowed from Sanskrit स्वस्तिका (svastikā).
More words from Sanskrit
Full word history & related roots →Swastika · proper noun
Named after the Swastika Gold Mine in 1907. The mine's name was inspired by a swastika necklace its owner saw.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans swastika
- swastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Arabic صَلِيب مَعْقُوف
- صَلِيب مَعْقُوف (ṣalīb maʕqūf)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Bengali স্বস্তিকচিহ্ন, স্বস্তিক
- স্বস্তিকচিহ্ন (swostikcihno)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- স্বস্তিক (śostik)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- স্বস্তিকা (śostikā)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Bulgarian сва́стика
- сва́стика (svástika)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Catalan esvàstica, creu gammada
- esvàsticaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- creu gammadaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Chinese Cantonese 卍, 卐
- 卍 (maan⁶)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 卐 (maan⁶)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Chinese Mandarin 萬 /万, 萬字符 /万字符
- 萬 /万 (wàn)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 萬字符 /万字符 (wànzìfú)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 卍 (wàn)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 卐 (wàn)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 卍字 (wànzì)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 卐字 (wànzì)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Czech svastika
- svastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Danish svastika, hagekors
- svastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- hagekorsa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Dutch hakenkruis, swastika
- hakenkruisa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- swastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Esperanto svastiko, hokokruco
- svastikoa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- hokokrucoa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Estonian haakrist, svastika
- haakrista cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- svastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Finnish hakaristi
- hakaristia cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
French svastika, croix gammée
- svastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- croix gamméea cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
German Hakenkreuz, Swastika
- Hakenkreuza cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- Swastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Greek σβάστικα, αγκυλωτός σταυρός
- σβάστικα (svástika)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- αγκυλωτός σταυρός (agkylotós stavrós)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Hebrew צְלַב קֶרֶס
- צְלַב קֶרֶס (tslav kéres)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Hindi स्वस्तिक, साथिया
- स्वस्तिक (svastik)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- साथिया (sāthiyā)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Hungarian horogkereszt
- horogkereszta cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Icelandic hakakross
- hakakrossa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Indonesian swastika
- swastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Irish svaistice
- svaisticea cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Italian svastica, croce gammata
- svasticaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- croce gammataa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Japanese 卍, 卐
- 卍 (manji)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 卐 (manji)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- スワスティカ (suwasutika)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 鉤十字 (kagijūji)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- ハーケンクロイツ (hākenkuroitsu)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Korean 만자문, 스와스티카
- 만자문 (manjamun)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 스와스티카 (seuwaseutika)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 만자 (manja)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- 완자 (wanja)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Latvian svastika, kāškrusts
- svastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- kāškrustsa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Lithuanian svastika
- svastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Malay banji, swastika
- banjia cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- swastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Norwegian Bokmål hakekors, svastika
- hakekorsa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- svastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Persian صلیب شکسته
- صلیب شکسته (salib-e šekaste)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Polish swastyka
- swastykaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Portuguese suástica, cruz gamada
- suásticaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- cruz gamadaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Romanian svastică
- svasticăa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Russian сва́стика, коловра́т
- сва́стика (svástika)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- коловра́т (kolovrát)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Slovak svastika
- svastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Spanish esvástica, cruz gamada
- esvásticaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- cruz gamadaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- suásticaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- svásticaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Swedish hakkors, svastika
- hakkorsa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- svastikaa cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Thai สวัสติกะ
- สวัสติกะ (sà-wàt-dtì-gà)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Turkish gamalı haç
- gamalı haça cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Ukrainian сва́стика
- сва́стика (svástyka)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Urdu سوستک, سواستیکا
- سوستک (svastik)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- سواستیکا (svāstikā)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Vietnamese chữ vạn
- chữ vạna cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Yiddish האַקנקרייץ, סװאַסטיקע
- האַקנקרייץ (haknkreyts)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
- סװאַסטיקע (svastike)a cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle
Cite this entry
swastika. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swastika
“swastika.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swastika. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swastika,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swastika.
Source: swastika on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.