[swas.ti.ka] n [Skt svastika, fr. svasti well-being, fr. su- well + as- to be; akin to Skt asti he is, OE is; fr. its being regarded as a good luck symbol] (1871) 1: a symbol or ornament in the form of a Greek cross with the ends of the arms extended at right angles all in the same rotary direction
2: a swastika used as a symbol of anti-Semitism or of Nazism