ankh
ankh — noun
1. a shape from ancient Egypt that looks like the letter T with a small oval ring a
a shape from ancient Egypt that looks like the letter T with a small oval ring attached on top; for the Egyptians it meant living, breath, and the soul that goes on after death. It appears on tomb walls, in carvings of gods and queens, and is sometimes worn today as a piece of jewellery.
Tutankhamun is shown on his coffin holding an ankh in each hand.
concrete usage: holding an ankh as a religious symbol
The museum guide pointed to a small ankh carved into the king's stone throne.
common collocation: an ankh carved into [object]
Imani wears a silver ankh on a thin chain around her neck.
On the temple wall, the goddess Isis offers an ankh to the lips of a young pharaoh.
Students in the Egyptology class learned to draw the ankh before studying other hieroglyphs.
- crux ansata
the Latin scholarly name, used in art history and museum labels
- key of life
popular nickname, often seen in jewellery and new-age writing
文法句型
an ankh
the ankh
用法筆記
Almost always preceded by 'an' or 'the' and often paired with verbs of carving, holding, wearing, or drawing. Common in writing about ancient Egypt, museums, tattoos, and goth or new-age fashion.