ankh
See also: ânkh
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editFrom Egyptian
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(ꜥnḫ, “life, to live, symbol for life”).
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /æŋk/, /ɑːŋk/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ɑŋk/, /æŋk/
Noun
editankh (plural ankhs)
- A cross shaped like a T with a loop at the top, the Egyptian hieroglyph representing the Egyptian triliteral ꜥnḫ (“life”) and often used as an amulet or charm for this concept.
- Synonyms: ansate cross, crux ansata, Egyptian cross, tau
- 1994, Mira Bartok, Christine Ronan, Ancient Egypt and Nubia, page 11:
- On temple wall paintings, the ankh is often seen being carried by gods who hold it up to the nose of the pharaoh. This gesture symbolizes the offering of the "breath of life" or eternity. Sometimes the pharaoh is also depicted with a stream of water in the form of ankhs being poured over him during a purification ritual.
- 2001, Anna Franklin, Paul Mason, Lammas: Celebrating Fruits of the First Harvest, page 245:
- The ankh combines the male and female sexual symbols: a female oval surmounting a male cross. It was also called the Key of the Nile, and was said to represent the sacred marriage between the God and Goddess which took place each year at the source of the Nile before the river flooded. Egyptians regarded the ankh as a universal life charm.
- 2013, Gordon Strong, Windleroot, page 125:
- Now, the ankh that Thoth always held hovered in the air between Sekhmet and the Magus, and both fixed their gaze upon it.
- A tau cross.
Translations
editcross shaped like a T with a loop at the top
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See also
edit- ☥
- 𓋹
- Category:ankh on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
Anagrams
editPortuguese
editNoun
editankh m (plural ankhs)
- ankh (cross shaped like a T with a loop at the top)
Categories:
- English terms borrowed from Egyptian
- English terms derived from Egyptian
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/æŋk
- Rhymes:English/æŋk/1 syllable
- Rhymes:English/ɑːŋk
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɒŋk
- Rhymes:English/ɒŋk/1 syllable
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- en:Ancient Egypt
- en:Crosses
- en:Wicca
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese nouns
- Portuguese countable nouns
- Portuguese terms spelled with K
- Portuguese masculine nouns