English

Alternative forms

• tilaka

Noun

tilak ‎(plural tilaks)

1. A mark or symbol worn on the forehead by Hindus, ornamentally or as an indication of status.
   • 2001, Yann Martel, Life of Pi:

     I wore these spots of shine and silver like tilaks, the marks of colour that we Hindus wear on our foreheads as symbols of the divine.

   • 2012, Jake Halpern, "The Secret of the Temple", The New Yorker, 30 Apr 2012:

     He dressed in a dhoti, had a wispy white beard that trailed down to his waist, and regularly smeared across his forehead a tilaka, a pitchfork-shaped design that signifies enlightenment.

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