[to.tem] n [Ojibwa ototeman his totem] (ca. 1776) 1 a: an object (as an animal or plant) serving as the emblem of a family or clan and often as a reminder of its ancestry; also: a usu. carved or painted representation of such an object b: a family or clan identified by a common totemic object
2: something that serves as an emblem or revered symbol