Meanings
- A symbol consisting of three spirals, or three bent human legs.
1 more example
1889 "The three legs diverging from one centre, which is now the well-known arms of the Isle of Man, is the ancient Triquetrum, or, as Olshausen [Zeitsch. f. Ethnol., 1886, p. 283] more properly terms it, the Triskeles, seen on the oldest Sicilian coins and on those of Lycia, in Asia Minor" (Daniel Garrison Brinton, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Volume 26, p. 177)
Synonyms: triskele, triskelion
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA symbol consisting of three spirals, or three bent human legs.
Origin
- Ancient Greekτρισκελής“three-legged”
- Frenchtriskèle
- GermanTriskeles
- Englishtriskeles
1880, via German Triskeles (c. 1850), from French triskèle (1835). It is in turn from Ancient Greek τρισκελής (triskelḗs, “three-legged”), composed of τρι- (tri-, “three”) + σκέλος (skélos, “leg”).
More words from German, French, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish triskele
- triskelesymbol consisting of three connected curves
Finnish triskele
- triskelesymbol consisting of three connected curves
French triskèle
- triskèlesymbol consisting of three connected curves
German Triskeles, Triskele
- Triskelessymbol consisting of three connected curves
- Triskelesymbol consisting of three connected curves
- Dreiwirbelsymbol consisting of three connected curves
Italian triscele
- triscelesymbol consisting of three connected curves
Russian трискель
- трискель (triskelʹ)symbol consisting of three connected curves
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
triskeles. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/triskeles
“triskeles.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/triskeles. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “triskeles,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/triskeles.
Source: triskeles on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.