e ‧ mo ‧ ti ‧ con /ɪˈməʊtɪkɒn $ ɪˈmoʊtɪkɑːn/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1900-2000 ; Origin: emotion + icon ]
a special sign that is used to show an emotion in ↑ email and on the Internet, often by making a picture. For example, the emoticon :-) looks like a smiling face and means that you have made a joke.