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 - 4 dictionary results

i⋅con

[ahy-kon]
–noun
1. a picture, image, or other representation.
2. Eastern Church. a representation of some sacred personage, as Christ or a saint or angel, painted usually on a wood surface and venerated itself as sacred.
3. a sign or representation that stands for its object by virtue of a resemblance or analogy to it.
4. Computers. a picture or symbol that appears on a monitor and is used to represent a command, as a file drawer to represent filing.
5. Semiotics. a sign or representation that stands for its object by virtue of a resemblance or analogy to it.
Also, eikon, ikon (for defs. 1, 2).


Origin:
1565–75; < L < Gk eikn likeness, image, figure


2. See image.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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i·con   (ī'kŏn')   
n.  
  1. also i·kon (ī'kŏn')

    1. An image; a representation.

    2. A representation or picture of a sacred or sanctified Christian personage, traditionally used and venerated in the Eastern Church.

  2. An important and enduring symbol: "Voyager will take its place ... alongside such icons of airborne adventure as The Spirit of St. Louis and [the] Bell X-1" (William D. Marbach).

  3. One who is the object of great attention and devotion; an idol: "He is ... a pop icon designed and manufactured for the video generation" (Harry F. Waters).

  4. Computer Science A picture on a screen that represents a specific file, directory, window, option, or program.


[From Greek eikōn, from eikenai, to be like, seem.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

icon

An image used in worship in the Eastern Orthodox Church and among other Christians of similar traditions. Icons depict Jesus, Mary, and the saints, usually in a severe, symbolic, nonrealistic way.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

icon 
1572, "image, figure, representation," from L.L. icon, from Gk. eikon "likeness, image, portrait," related to eikenai "be like, look like." Eastern Church sense is attested from 1833. Computing sense first recorded 1982.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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