tetraskele

9.9

A design with four bent arms or legs coming from the center

noun
/ˈtɛtrəˌskɛl/

Literature

: tetrasqueleto

The museum’s display explained the use of the tetraskele symbol in early European cultures.

Examples

The ancient pottery was decorated with a prominent tetraskele in red paint.
Can you identify the tetraskele in this painting?
A tetraskele is often seen in Greek art and symbolizes movement or cycles.
The tetraskele is often used in ancient art.
The ancient pottery was decorated with a prominent tetraskele in red paint.
A tetraskele is often seen in Greek art and symbolizes movement or cycles.
The museum's display explained the use of the tetraskele symbol in early European cultures.

Synonyms

tetraskelion

vstetraskele

Literature

9.9

A design with four bent arms or lines that come out from a central point

allows the four parts to radiate from the center without requiring perfect symmetry

Surface Forms

tetraskele singular

tetraskele's singular

tetraskele plural

Morphology

tetraskele = triskele (semi-transparent) = tetra + skele

Formally composed of the numeric combining form 'tetra-' (four) and a combining element 'skele' (as in 'triskele'); because 'skele' is not a standalone English word, the meaning is only partially obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Tetraskele comes from Greek parts tetra- 'four' and -skele 'leg', like the three-legged triskelion. So, a tetraskele is a design of four bent arms or legs that spread out from a center point, which is why it stands for movement or cycles.