Etymograph

English

swastika

Swastika comes from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक ‘any lucky or auspicious object’, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *Hsu- ‘good’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- ‘to be’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁es-1‘to be’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁su-1‘good’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*Hsu-1‘good’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*Hsu-1reconstructed
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEस्वस्तिक2svastika‘any lucky or auspicious object’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1888swastika2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Sanskrit सु-
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English swastika
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1888, Rudyard Kipling, The Sending of Dana Da: “This was signed by Dana Da, who added pentacles…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁es-Wiktionary, Sanskrit सु-‘to be’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁su-Wiktionary, Sanskrit सु-‘good’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Iranianc. 2500–1800 BCE*Hsu-Wiktionary, Sanskrit सु-‘good’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Indo-Aryanprehistoric (reconstructed)*Hsu-Wiktionary, Sanskrit सु-reconstructed
  5. Sanskritc. 1500–500 BCEस्वस्तिकWiktionary, English swastikasvastika‘any lucky or auspicious object’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1888swastikaWiktionary, English swastika. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1888, Rudyard Kipling, The Sending of Dana Da: “This was signed by Dana Da, who added pentacles…”

The story

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit स्वस्तिक (svastika), from सु- (su-, “good, well”) + अस्ति (asti), a verbal abstract of the root of the verb "to be", स्वस्ति (svasti) thus meaning "well-being" — and the diminutive suffix क (ka); hence "little thing associated with well-being", corresponding roughly to "lucky charm". First attestation in English in 1871, a Sanskritism that replaced the Grecian term gammadion.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- ‘to be’

is, am, interest, potential, sin, sinful, soothe, sooth, quintessence, sinless, asana, 11 more

Today it means

noun A cross with arms of equal length all bent halfway along at a 90° angle to the right or to the left, used as a religious symbol by various ancient and modern civilizations, but now mainly seen and used in the West (with arms angled to the right) as a symbol of Nazism and fascism.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “swastika”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Sanskrit सु-. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- / swastika

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