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symbol - 11 dictionary results

sym⋅bol

[sim-buh

noun, verb, -boled, -bol⋅ing or (especially British

) -bolled, -bol⋅ling.

Use symbol in a Sentence

–noun

1.	something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.

2.	a letter, figure, or other character or mark or a combination of letters or the like used to designate something: the algebraic symbol x; the chemical symbol Au.

a word, phrase, image, or the like having a complex of associated meanings and perceived as having inherent value separable from that which is symbolized, as being part of that which is symbolized, and as performing its normal function of standing for or representing that which is symbolized: usually conceived as deriving its meaning chiefly from the structure in which it appears, and generally distinguished from a sign.

–verb (used with object)

4.	to symbolize.

Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L symbolum < Gk sýmbolon sign, equiv. to sym- sym- + -bolon, neut. for bol

(fem.) a throw

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To symbol

sym·bol (sĭm'bəl)

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n.

Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible. See Synonyms at sign.
A printed or written sign used to represent an operation, element, quantity, quality, or relation, as in mathematics or music.
Psychology An object or image that an individual unconsciously uses to represent repressed thoughts, feelings, or impulses: a phallic symbol.

tr.v. sym·boled, sym·bol·ing, sym·bols
To symbolize.

[Middle English symbole, creed, from Old French, from Latin symbolum, token, mark, from Greek sumbolon, token for identification (by comparison with a counterpart) : sun-, syn- + ballein, to throw; see g^welə- in Indo-European roots.]

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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Symbol

Sym"bol\, n. [L. symbolus, symbolum, Gr. sy`mbolon a sign by which one knows or infers a thing, from ? to throw or put together, to compare; sy`n with + ? to throw: cf. F. symbole. Cf. Emblem, Parable.]

1. A visible sign or representation of an idea; anything which suggests an idea or quality, or another thing, as by resemblance or by convention; an emblem; a representation; a type; a figure; as, the lion is the symbol of courage; the lamb is the symbol of meekness or patience.

A symbol is a sign included in the idea which it represents, e. g., an actual part chosen to represent the whole, or a lower form or species used as the representative of a higher in the same kind. --Coleridge.

2. (Math.) Any character used to represent a quantity, an operation, a relation, or an abbreviation.

Note: In crystallography, the symbol of a plane is the numerical expression which defines its position relatively to the assumed axes.

3. (Theol.) An abstract or compendium of faith or doctrine; a creed, or a summary of the articles of religion.

4. [Gr. ? contributions.] That which is thrown into a common fund; hence, an appointed or accustomed duty. [Obs.]

They do their work in the days of peace . . . and come to pay their symbol in a war or in a plague. --Jer. Taylor.

5. Share; allotment. [Obs.]

The persons who are to be judged . . . shall all appear to receive their symbol. --Jer. Taylor.

6. (Chem.) An abbreviation standing for the name of an element and consisting of the initial letter of the Latin or New Latin name, or sometimes of the initial letter with a following one; as, C for carbon, Na for sodium (Natrium), Fe for iron (Ferrum), Sn for tin (Stannum), Sb for antimony (Stibium), etc. See the list of names and symbols under Element.

Note: In pure and organic chemistry there are symbols not only for the elements, but also for their grouping in formulas, radicals, or residues, as evidenced by their composition, reactions, synthesis, etc. See the diagram of Benzene nucleus, under Benzene.

Syn: Emblem; figure; type. See Emblem.

Symbol

Sym"bol\, v. t. To symbolize. [R.] --Tennyson.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : symbol

Spanish: símbolo,

German: das Symbol,

Japanese: 象徴

More Translations »

symbol

An object or name that stands for something else, especially a material thing that stands for something that is not material. The bald eagle is a symbol of the United States of America. The cross is a symbol of Christianity. The Star of David is a symbol of Judaism.

symbol

Something that represents or suggests something else. Symbols often take the form of words, visual images, or gestures that are used to convey ideas and beliefs. All human cultures use symbols to express the underlying structure of their social systems, to represent ideal cultural characteristics, such as beauty, and to ensure that the culture is passed on to new generations. Symbolic relationships are learned rather than biologically or naturally determined, and each culture has its own symbols.

symbol

c.1434, "creed, summary, religious belief," from L.L. symbolum "creed, token, mark," from Gk. symbolon "token, watchword" (applied c.250 by Cyprian of Carthage to the Apostles' Creed, on the notion of the "mark" that distinguishes Christians from pagans), from syn- "together" + stem of ballein "to throw." The sense evolution is from "throwing things together" to "contrasting" to "comparing" to "token used in comparisons to determine if something is genuine." Hence, "outward sign" of something. The meaning "something which stands for something else" first recorded 1590 (in "Faerie Queene"). Symbolic is attested from 1680.

Main Entry: sym·bol
Pronunciation: 'sim-b&l
Function: noun
: something that stands for or suggests something else: as a : anarbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities b : an object or actrepresenting something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed symbols> —sym·bol·ic /sim-'bäl-ik/ adjective —sym·bol·i·cal·ly /-i-k(&-)lE/ adverb

symbol sym·bol (sĭm'bəl)
n.

Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.
A printed or written sign used to represent an operation, an element, a quantity, or a relation, as in mathematics or chemistry.
A conventional sign.

symbol (sĭm'bəl) Pronunciation Key

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A conventional, printed or written figure used to represent an operation, element, quantity, relation, unit of measurement, phenomenon, or descriptor. Also called sign.

symbol

see status symbol.

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