n. & v.
n. 1 a thing conventionally regarded as typifying, representing, or recalling something, esp. an idea or quality (white is a symbol of purity). 2 a mark or character taken as the conventional sign of some object, idea, function, or process, e.g. the letters standing for the chemical elements or the characters in musical notation.
v.tr. (symbolled, symbolling; US symboled, symboling) symbolize. symbology n.
[ ME f. L symbolum f. Gk sumbolon mark, token (as SYN-, ballo throw) ]