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Glite Dictionary
🐄 A cow 🗺️ A region 🧿 A locket
gau

gau

9.9
A small Tibetan locket worn as a protective amulet that often holds a prayer
  • noun
  • /ɡaʊ/
translation icon : gau
  • The man reached inside his shirt and produced a yak-hair cord from which hung a silver gau, one of the small boxes used to carry a prayer close to the heart.

Examples

  • He wore a beautifully crafted gau around his neck, filled with sacred texts and symbols.

  • In the market, artisans displayed colorful gau adorned with intricate designs and precious materials.

  • He clamped both hands around the gau and looked back up the valley, not at the rider now but at the far ranges capped with snow.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The grandmother gifted her grandson a gau as a protective charm for his journey.

Synonyms

locket
vsgau
84 4.2

A small case worn on a chain around the neck that holds a photo or hair

is used mainly for protection and often contains sacred items
amulet
vsgau
81 7.2

A small object worn as jewelry that people believe protects them from harm

is a traditional Tibetan pendant that often contains sacred items for protection
talisman
vsgau
37 8.2

An object that people often wear as jewelry and think brings good luck or protection to its owner

is a traditional Tibetan pendant used for protection and sometimes holds relics
yantra
vsgau
  • Indian
9.9

A small metal plate with a sacred diagram kept for protection

is a wearable locket pendant rather than a flat inscribed plate

Surface Forms

gau singular
gaus plural

Etymology

The word gau comes from Tibetan gau (also spelled gawu), which means 'small box' or 'amulet'. A gau is a wearable locket that holds sacred items and is worn for protection, which is why the word refers to that pendant.