Ankh

Webster's Dictionary

(n.) A tau cross with a loop at the top, used as an attribute or sacred emblem, symbolizing generation or enduring life. Called also crux ansata.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(life) is the name given by the ancient Egyptians to the emblem in the form of a handled cross, somewhat resembling the Tau of St. Anthony's cross. The cause of its significance is unknown, but as an emblem of life it is always borne in the hands of the gods, and symbolically laid on the lips of the mummy to revive it, or held over the king at his mystical baptism. As a hieroglyphic, it is simply the determinative of all things relating to the ear. It is the most common of all the Egyptian symbols.