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The Swastika (also known as the gammadion cross, cross cramponnée, or wanzi) (as a character: 卐 or 卍) is a symbol that generally takes the form of an equilateral cross, with its four legs bent at 90 degrees.〔〔(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary ), Cambridge University Press, 2008, (p.1472 )〕 It is considered to be a sacred and auspicious symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.〔(The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols ), Robert Beer, Serindia Publications, Inc., 2003, (p.97 ) (The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z ), by James G. Lochtefeld, The Rosen Publishing Group, 2002, (p. 678 )〕 It has been used as a decorative element in various cultures since at least the Neolithic. It is known most widely as an important symbol long used in Indian religions, denoting "auspiciousness." It was adopted as such in pre-World War I-Europe and later, and most notably, by the Nazi Party and Nazi Germany prior to World War II. In many Western countries, the swastika has been highly stigmatized because of its use in and association with Nazism. It continues to be commonly used as a religious symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism.〔 Western literature's older term for the symbol, ''gammadion cross'', derives mainly from its appearance, which is identical to four Greek gamma letters affixed to each other.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title="Swastika" Etymology )〕 The name ''swastika'' comes from the Sanskrit word ''svastika'' (Devanagari: स्वस्तिक), meaning "lucky or auspicious object".〔 == Names == The word ''swastika'' has been in use in English since the 1870s, replacing ''gammadion'' (from Greek ).〔first recorded 1871 (OED); alternative historical English spellings include ''suastika'', ''swastica'', and ''svastica''.〕 It was loaned from the Sanskrit term (Devanagari: ), which is transliterated ' under the commonly used IAST transliteration system, but is pronounced "swastika" when letters are used as in English. It means any lucky or auspicious object, and in particular a mark made on persons and things to denote auspiciousness, or any piece of luck or well-being. It is composed of ''su-'' meaning "good, well" and ''asti'' "it is", which form the word ', meaning good health or good fortune; the added suffix ' forms an abstract noun, and ' might thus be translated literally as "that which is associated with well-being," corresponding to "lucky charm" or "thing that is auspicious." The word finds its origin in Vedic Sanskrit. As noted by Monier-Williams in his Sanskrit-English dictionary, according to Alexander Cunningham, its shape represents a monogram formed by interlacing of the letters of the auspicious words ''su-astí'' (') written in Ashokan characters.〔Monier Monier-Williams (1899). ''A Sanskrit-English Dictionary'', s.v. ''svastika'' (p. 1283).〕 Other names for the symbol include: *''hook cross'' (German: ''ドイツ語:Hakenkreuz''), ''angled cross'' (German: ''ドイツ語:Winkelkreuz'') or ''crooked cross'' (German: ''ドイツ語:Krummkreuz''). * ''cross cramponned,'' ''cramponnée'', or ''cramponny'', in heraldry, as each arm resembles a Crampon or angle-iron ((ドイツ語:Winkelmaßkreuz)). * ''fylfot'', chiefly in heraldry and architecture. The term was coined in the 19th century based on a misunderstanding of a Renaissance manuscript. * ''gammadion'', ''tetragammadion'' (Greek: ), or ''cross gammadion'' ((ラテン語:crux gammata); French: ), as each arm resembles the Greek letter Γ (').〔(The Migration of Symbols ), by Goblet d'Alviella, (Chapter II ), hosted at the Internet Sacred Text Archive〕 * ''tetraskelion'' (Greek: ), literally meaning "four legged", especially when composed of four conjoined legs (compare triskelion ()).〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=''Tetraskelion'' Definition and Origin )〕 * ''whirling logs'' (Navajo (native american): can denote abundance, prosperity, healing, and luck . 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「swastika」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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