chakana means A stepped cross motif, often with a circle in the center, used by the Inca and other Andean cultures. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 90 out of 100.
Why “chakana” is a great word
CHAKANA — [Noun] A stepped cross motif, often with a circle at its center, used as a sacred cosmological and architectural symbol by the Inca and other Andean cultures. Borrowed from Quechua chakana, likely from chaka ("bridge, crossing") + -na (nominal suffix). Unlike the generic intersection of a "cross" or the intricate, circular cosmos of a "mandala," the chakana is a distinct Andean compass. It is the staggered silhouette carved into a high-altitude temple lintel, the four-part foundation aligning a city to the Southern Cross, and the conceptual ladder bridging the underworld, earth, and sky—a static diagram of a living universe, a bridge whose steps are meant to be climbed.
noun
- A stepped cross motif, often with a circle in the center, used by the Inca and other Andean cultures.