Tau cross

A tau cross (Saint Anthony's cross)

The tau cross is a T-shaped cross, sometimes with all three ends of the cross expanded.[1] It is called a "tau cross" because it is shaped like the Greek letter tau,[2] which in its upper-case form has the same appearance as the Latin letter T.

Another name for the same object is Saint Anthony's cross[3] or Saint Anthony cross,[4] a name given to it because of its association with Saint Anthony of Egypt.

It is also called a crux commissa,[5] one of the four basic types of iconographic representations of the cross.[6]

  1. ^ Merriam-Webster: tau cross
  2. ^ Collins English Dictionary: tau cross
  3. ^ Collins English Dictionary: Saint Anthony's cross
  4. ^ Oxford Dictionaries: St Anthony cross
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster: crux commissa
  6. ^ Encyclopædia Britannica: Cross (religious symbol)