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tik·ka¹ (tĭkə)

Any of various traditional marks or ornaments worn on the forehead in South Asia, especially:

a. A pendant attached by a chain so as to hang from the parting of the hair to the middle of the forehead, worn especially by Hindu brides.

b. A bindi.

[From Hindi ṭīkā and Punjabi ṭikkā, both from Middle Indic *ṭikka; perhaps akin to Sanskrit tilaḥ, sesame seed, mole, and tilakaḥ, freckle, mark made on the forehead.]

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tikka1

tik·ka² (tĭkə)

A South Asian dish consisting of pieces of chicken or other meat marinated in yogurt and spices and cooked on a skewer.

[Hindi and Urdu tikkā, small piece of meat, from Persian tikka, bit, small piece.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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