• Dutch: doorkruisen
• Finnish: astua tielle, sekaantua
• French: contrecarrer, déjouer
• German: kreuzen (plan), konterkarieren, hintergehen (person)
• Italian: intralciare, ostacolare
• Swedish: förhindra, gäcka, gå i vägen för, korsa

• French: faire le signe de croix
• Russian: креститься/перекреститься (krestít's'a/perekrestít's'a)
• Swedish: göra korstecknet

Derived terms

• crossing
• cross out
• cross over
• crossover
• crossword

Italian

Noun

cross

1. motocross
2. cross (boxing punch)

A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run diagonally, the design is technically termed a saltire.

The cross is one of the most ancient human symbols, and is used by many religions, most notably Christianity. It is frequently a representation of the division of the world into four elements (Chevalier, 1997) (or cardinal points), or alternately as the union of the concepts of divinity, the vertical line, and the world, the horizontal line (Koch, 1955).

Etymology

The word cross was introduced to English in the 10th century as the term for the instrument of the torturous execution of Christ (gradually replacing the earlier word rood), ultimately from Latin crux, via Old Irish cros. The word can nowadays refer to the geometrical shape unrelated to its Christian significance. The Latin Crux (translating Greek stauros) was a Roman torture device used for crucifixion.

History

It is not known when the first cross image was made; after circles, crosses are one of the first symbols drawn by children of all cultures. There are many cross-shaped incisions in European cult caves, dating back to the earliest stages of human cultural development in the stone age. Like other symbols from this period, their use continued in the Celtic and Germanic cultures in Europe. For example, celtic coins minted many centuries before the Christian era may have an entire side showing this type of cross, sometimes with the five cardinal points marked by concave depressions in the same style as in stoneage carvings. Other coins may be showing the cross held by a rider on a horse and springing forth a fern leaf, sometimes identified as a Tree of Life symbol.

As markings

Written crosses are used for many different purposes, particularly in mathematics.

• The Roman numeral for ten is X.
• In the Latin alphabet, the letter X and the minuscule form of t are crosses.
• The Chinese character for ten is 十; (see Chinese numerals).
• The dagger or obelus (†)
• The addition (or plus) sign (+) and the multiplication (or times) sign (×).

A cross is often used as a check mark because it can be clearer, easier to create with an ordinary pen or pencil, and less obscuring of the text or image that is already present than a large dot. It also allows marking a position more accurately than a large dot.

A large cross through a text often means that it is wrong or should be considered deleted.

As emblems and symbols

In heraldry

These crosses are ones used primarily or exclusively in heraldry and do not necessarily have any special meanings commonly associated with them. Not all the crosses of heraldry and the crosses with commonly known contexts are listed below.

There are numerous other variations on the cross in heraldry. See heraldry for background information.

The semi-classic book A Glossary of Terms Used in Heraldry by James Parker (1894) is online, and contains much information about variants of crosses used in heraldry.

In flags

Several flags have crosses, including all the nations of Scandinavia, whose crosses are known as Scandinavian crosses, and many nations in the Southern Hemisphere, which incorporate the Southern Cross. The Flag of Switzerland since the 17th century has displayed an equilateral cross in a square (the only square flag of a sovereign state apart from the Flag of the Vatican City); the Red Cross emblem was based on the Swiss flag.

Other noteworthy crosses

The Crux, or Southern Cross, is a cross-shaped constellation in the Southern Hemisphere. It appears on the national flags of Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

The tallest cross, at 152.4 metres high, is part of Francisco Franco's monumental "Valley of the Fallen", the Monumento Nacional de Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caidos in Spain.

The tallest cross in the United States, at 198 feet (60.3 m) tall, is allegedly located in Effingham, Illinois, at the junction of Interstates 57 and 70.

The 5th-century BC tombs at Naqsh-e Rustam, Iran, are carved into the cliffside in the shape of a cross. They are known as the "Persian crosses".

Justice used the symbol for their debut album.

See also

• ×
• Cross in Christian Art
• Christian cross
• Christianity
• Cross and Crown
• Crossbuck
• Cross burning
• Crucifixion

References

• Chevalier, Jean (1997). "The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols". Penguin ISBN 0140512543
• Koch, Rudolf (1955). The Book of Signs. Dover, NY. ISBN 0-486-20162-7.
• Drury, Nevill (1985). Dictionary of Mysticism and the Occult. Harper & Row ISBN 0060620935
• Webber, F. R. (1927, rev 1938). Church Symbolism: an explanation of the more important symbols of the Old and New Testament, the primitive, the mediaeval and the modern church. Cleveland, OH. .

External links

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