Maltese Cross
Preserved but no longer current.
Made thus: >J<. Originally the badge of the Knights of Malta, formed of four barbed arrow-heads with their points meeting in the centre. In modified and elabor- ated forms it is the badge of many well-known Orders, etc., as the British Victoria Cross and Order of Merit, and the German Iron Cross.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Maltese Cross” mean?
Made thus: >J<. Originally the badge of the Knights of Malta, formed of four barbed arrow-heads with their points meeting in the centre. In modified and elabor- ated forms it is the badge of many well-known Orders, etc., as the British Victoria Cross and Order of Merit, and the German Iron Cross.
Is “Maltese Cross” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.