SYMBOL


Meaning of SYMBOL in English

I. ˈsim-bəl noun

Etymology: in sense 1, from Late Latin symbolum, from Late Greek symbolon, from Greek, token, sign; in other senses from Latin symbolum token, sign, symbol, from Greek symbolon, literally, token of identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw together, compare, from syn- + ballein to throw — more at devil

Date: 15th century

1. : an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine : creed

2. : something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance ; especially : a visible sign of something invisible

the lion is a symbol of courage

3. : an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities

4. : an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed

phallic symbol s

5. : an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response

II. verb

( -boled or -bolled ; -bol·ing or -bol·ling )

Date: 1832

: symbolize

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.