— totemic /toh tem"ik/ , adj. — totemically , adv.
/toh"teuhm/ , n.
1. a natural object or an animate being, as an animal or bird, assumed as the emblem of a clan, family, or group.
2. an object or natural phenomenon with which a family or sib considers itself closely related.
3. a representation of such an object serving as the distinctive mark of the clan or group.
4. anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.
[ 1750-60, Amer. ; ninto·te·m my totem, oto·te·man his totem (prob. orig. my clan-village-mate, deriv. of s. o·te·- dwell in or as a village; cf. o·te·na village) ]