fylfot

fylfot
Swastika Swas"ti*ka, Swastica Swas"ti*ca, n. [Also {suastica}, {svastika}, etc.] [Skr. svastika, fr. svasti walfare; su well + asti being.] A symbol or ornament in the form of a Greek cross with the ends of the arms at right angles all in the same direction, and each prolonged to the height of the parallel arm of the cross. A great many modified forms exist, ogee and volute as well as rectilinear, while various decorative designs, as Greek fret or meander, are derived from or closely associated with it. The swastika is found in remains from the Bronze Age in various parts of Europe, esp. at Hissarlik (Troy), and was in frequent use as late as the 10th century. It is found in ancient Persia, in India, where both Jains and Buddhists used (or still use) it as religious symbol, in China and Japan, and among Indian tribes of North, Central, and South America. It is usually thought to be a charm, talisman, or religious token, esp. a sign of good luck or benediction. Max M["u]Ller distinguished from the swastika, with arms prolonged to the right, the {suavastika}, with arms prolonged to the left, but this distinction is not commonly recognized. Other names for the swastika are {fylfot} and {gammadion}.

Note: The swastika with arms bent to the right came to be used used as a symbol of Aryan supremacy by the Nazi party in Germany, 1933 - 1945; hence, it is now associated in the United States and European countries with Nazism or antisemitism. It is sometimes used by neo-nazis, or by antisemites as an antisemitic symbol. [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Fylfot — (altengl., d.h. Vierfuß), s.v.w. Hakenkreuz …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • fylfot — supposedly a native name for the swastika (used as a decorative device), but only attested in a single, damaged c.1500 manuscript, and there it may refer to any sort of device used to fill the bottom (foot) of a design. [I]t is even possible that …   Etymology dictionary

  • fylfot — [fil′fät΄] n. [< FILL + FOOT: so called because used to fill the foot of a colored window] SWASTIKA (sense 1) …   English World dictionary

  • Fylfot — For information about the symbol itself, see swastika. Notional arms Argent a fylfot azure (a blue fylfot on a white shield) – exemplifying the design of the fylfot commonly shown in modern heraldry texts. Fylfot or fylfot cross ( …   Wikipedia

  • Fylfot — Pattern like a swastika; also known as a * cross cramponee . [< fylfot = fill foot = design to fill the foot of a stained glass window.] …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • fylfot — noun Etymology: Middle English, device used to fill the lower part of a painted glass window (from a conjectural manuscript reading) Date: 1842 swastika …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • fylfot — /fil fot/, n. a swastika. [1490 1500; var. of fill foot foot filler] * * * …   Universalium

  • fylfot — noun a) A swastika, especially one with the arms bent in an anticlockwise direction. b) A symbol used for the god Thor or the sun goddess in the modern pagan faith of Heathenry …   Wiktionary

  • fylfot — fyl·fot || fɪlfÉ‘t / fÉ’t n. swastika …   English contemporary dictionary

  • fylfot — [ fɪlfɒt] noun a swastika. Origin C15: perh. from fill foot pattern filling the foot of a painted window …   English new terms dictionary

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