[sym.bol] n [in sense 1, fr. LL symbolum, fr. LGk symbolon, fr. Gk, token, sign; in other senses fr. L symbolum token, sign, symbol, fr. Gk symbolon, lit., token of identity verified by comparing its other half, fr. symballein to throw together, compare, fr. syn- + ballein to throw--more at devil] (15c) 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; esp: a visible sign of something invisible "the lion is a ~ 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 ~s"
5: an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response
[2]symbol vb -boled or -bolled ; -bol.ing or -bol.ling (1832): symbolize