[ 'ʌɪkɒn , -k(ə)n ]
■ noun
1》 (also ikon ) a devotional painting of Christ or another holy figure, typically on wood, venerated in the Byzantine and other Eastern Churches.
2》 a person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration.
3》 Computing a symbol or graphic representation on a VDU screen of a program, option, or window.
4》 Linguistics a sign which has a characteristic in common with the thing it signifies, for example the word snarl pronounced in a snarling way.
Origin
C16 (in the sense 'simile'): via L. from Gk eikōn 'image'.