Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
half-swastika

half-swastika

9.9
A design like half a swastika used in art to make people think
  • noun
  • /hæf ˈswɑːstɪkə/
  • Offensive
: media esvástica
  • Some artists incorporate the half-swastika into their work to challenge conventional meanings.

Examples

  • The museum display included a half-swastika among the ancient symbols.

  • Controversy arose after someone painted a half-swastika on the school wall.

  • The artist painted a half-swastika to challenge traditional views.

  • Many people find the half-swastika controversial.

  • Some artists incorporate the half-swastika into their work to challenge conventional meanings.

  • Controversy arose after someone painted a half-swastika on the school wall.

  • The museum display included a half-swastika among the ancient symbols.

Surface Forms

half-swastika singular
half-swastikas plural

Morphology

half-swastika = half + swastika (transparent) = half + swastika

The meaning is directly composed from 'half' + 'swastika' and an average learner knowing both words can infer 'one half of a swastika'.

Etymology

Half-swastika combines half ('one of two equal parts') and swastika, a name from an old Indian word meaning 'good luck'. So a half-swastika is literally half of that old symbol, and people sometimes use it in art to challenge or change the symbol's usual meaning.