sym|bol

sym|bol «SIHM buhl», noun, verb, -boled, -bol|ing or (especially British) -bolled, -bol|ling.

–n.

1. something that stands for or represents something else, especially an idea, quality, or condition: »

The lion is the symbol of courage; the lamb, of meekness; the olive branch, of peace; the cross, of Christianity ... Metaphysical myths…the symbols of vital beliefs (Jacques Maritain). We are symbols and inhabit symbols (Emerson). All civilizations have been generated, and are perpetuated, only by the use of symbols (Beals and Hoer). The V sign is the symbol of the unconquerable will of the occupied territories (Sir Winston Churchill).

SYNONYM(S): token. See syn. under emblem. (Cf. ↑emblem)

2. a letter, figure, or sign conventionally standing for some object, process, or other thing, such as the figures denoting the signs of the zodiac, or the letters and other characters denoting chemical elements or mathematical quantities, operations, etc.: »

The marks +, ―, × and ÷ are symbols for add, subtract, multiply, and divide. A symbol not only stands for the name of the element, but it also signifies one atom of that element (Parks and Steinbach).

3. Psychoanalysis. an object, gesture, or action representing a repressed emotion or impulse: »

We call…the dream-element itself a symbol of the unconscious dream-thought (Sigmund Freud).

–v.t., v.i.

to represent by or use symbols; symbolize.

╂[< Latin symbolum < Greek sýmbolon token, mark, ticket < syn- together + bállein to throw]