swas·ti·ka (sw?s?t?-k?)n.1. An ancient cosmic or religious symbol formed by a Greek cross with the ends of the arms bent at right angles in either a clockwise or a counterclockwise direction.2. Such a symbol with a clockwise bend to the arms, used as the emblem of the Nazi party and of the German state under Adolf Hitler, officially adopted in 1935. [Sanskrit svastika?, sign of good luck, swastika, from svasti, well-being; see (e)su- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.swastika (?sw?st?k?) n1. (Heraldry) a primitive religious symbol or ornament in the shape of a Greek cross, usually having the ends of the arms bent at right angles in either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction2. (Historical Terms) this symbol with clockwise arms, officially adopted in 1935 as the emblem of Nazi Germany[C19: from Sanskrit svastika, from svasti prosperity; from the belief that it brings good luck]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014swas?ti?ka (?sw?s t? k?) n., pl. -kas. 1. a symbolic or ornamental figure of ancient origin, consisting of a cross with arms of equal length, each arm having a continuation at right angles in a uniformly clockwise or counterclockwise direction. 2. this figure as the emblem of the Nazi Party and the Third Reich. [1850?55;