ankh

Etymology

From Egyptian ꜥnḫ (“life, to live, symbol for life”), anx-Z1

noun

1. A cross shaped like a T with a loop at the top, the Egyptian hieroglyph representing the Egyptian triliteral ꜥnḫ (“life”) and often used as an amulet or charm for this concept.
   On temple wall paintings, the ankh is often seen being carried by gods who hold it up to the nose of the pharaoh. This gesture symbolizes the offering of the "breath of life" or eternity. Sometimes the pharaoh is also depicted with a stream of water in the form of ankhs being poured over him during a purification ritual. 1994, Mira Bartok, Christine Ronan, Ancient Egypt and Nubia, page 11
   The ankh combines the male and female sexual symbols: a female oval surmounting a male cross. It was also called the Key of the Nile, and was said to represent the sacred marriage between the God and Goddess which took place each year at the source of the Nile before the river flooded. Egyptians regarded the ankh as a universal life charm. 2001, Anna Franklin, Paul Mason, Lammas: Celebrating Fruits of the First Harvest, page 245
   Now, the ankh that Thoth always held hovered in the air between Sekhmet and the Magus, and both fixed their gaze upon it. 2013, Gordon Strong, Windleroot, page 125
2. A tau cross.