fylfot

/ˈfɪl.fɒt/

Etymology

Uncertain, but likely from Middle English fillen (“to fill”) (from Old English fyllan) + fot (“foot”) (from Old English fōt), in reference to its use as a design to be placed at the bottom of stained-glass windows.

Why this word is great

FYLFOT — [Noun] A swastika, especially one with the arms bent in an anticlockwise direction. Likely from Middle English fillen ("to fill") + fot ("foot"), referring to its use as a design at the base of stained-glass windows. Unlike "swastika" (a broad, culturally fraught term) or "gammadion" (a rigidly geometric abstraction), "fylfot" is a relic of quiet craftsmanship, a heraldic curio half-buried in time. It is the shadow of a forgotten glazier’s hand tracing lead between panes, the worn stone motif on a cathedral’s hidden keystone, the faint whorl of lichen on an ancient oak—a shape that once meant sanctuary before history made it shudder.

noun

A swastika, especially one with the arms bent in an anticlockwise direction.“Then look at that jade fylfot charm pawned for one-and-three down at the Basin and the use that could have been made of it in the Kharkov 'ritual murder' trial.”