ankh

Definitions

1. 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.
2. A tau cross.

Equivalents

Examples

“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.”

“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.”

“Now, the ankh that Thoth always held hovered in the air between Sekhmet and the Magus, and both fixed their gaze upon it.”

CEFR level