I. ˈem-bləm noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin emblema inlaid work, from Greek emblēmat-, emblēma, from emballein to insert, from en- + ballein to throw — more at devil
Date: 15th century
1. : a picture with a motto or set of verses intended as a moral lesson
2. : an object or the figure of an object symbolizing and suggesting another object or an idea
3.
a. : a symbolic object used as a heraldic device
b. : a device, symbol, or figure adopted and used as an identifying mark
II. transitive verb
Date: 1584
: emblematize