sign of the cross

English

Etymology

A calque translation of Latin signum crucis.

Noun

sign of the cross (plural signs of the cross)

1. (Christianity) A gesture of the hand moving over the front of one's body in the shape of a cross made as part of ritual or to invoke divine protection.

Usage notes

• Sometimes capitalized.

Related terms

• cross oneself

Translations

gesture

• Armenian:

  Old Armenian: կնիք (knikʻ)

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 十字聖號／十字圣号 (shízì shènghào), 聖號／圣号 (shènghào)

• Czech: křížování n, znamení kříže n
• Danish: korsets tegn n
• Dutch: kruisteken (nl) n
• Finnish: ristinmerkki (fi)
• French: signe de croix (fr) m
• German: Kreuzzeichen n; Bekreuzigung f
• Greek: σταυρός (el) m (stavrós)
• Hungarian: keresztvetés (hu)
• Ido: krucosigno (io)
• Irish: comhartha na croise m, fíor na croise f
• Italian: segno della croce m
• Latin: signum crucis n
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: korstegnet n

• Old English: rōde tācn n
• Ottoman Turkish: خاچ (haç)
• Polish: znak krzyża m inan
• Portuguese: sinal da cruz m
• Russian: кре́стное зна́мение (ru) n (kréstnoje známenije)
• Spanish: santiguamiento m, señal de la cruz (es) m
• Swahili: ishara ya msalaba
• Swedish: korstecken n
• Tagalog: antanda (tl)
• Turkish: istavroz (tr)
• Ukrainian: хресне знамення (xresne znamennja), знак хреста m (znak xresta)
• Vietnamese: dấu Thánh Giá

Further reading

• Sign of the Cross on Wikipedia.Wikipedia