n.
Pronunciation: ' em-bl ə m
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin emblema inlaid work, from Greek embl ē mat-, embl ē ma, from emballein to insert, from en- + ballein to throw ― more at DEVIL
Date: 15th century
1 : a picture with a motto or set of verses intended as a moral lesson
2 : an object or the figure of an object symbolizing and suggesting another object or an idea
3 a : a symbolic object used as a heraldic device b : a device, symbol, or figure adopted and used as an identifying mark