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symbolism

 - 5 dictionary results

sym⋅bol⋅ism

  [sim-buh-liz-uhm]
Use symbolism in a Sentence
–noun
1. the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character.
2. a set or system of symbols.
3. symbolic meaning or character.
4. the principles and practice of symbolists in art or literature.
5. (initial capital letter) a movement of the late 19th century in French art and literature. Compare symbolist (defs. 3b, 4b).
6. the use of any of certain special figures or marks of identification to signify a religious message or divine being, as the cross for Christ and the Christian faith.
Origin:
1645–55; symbol + -ism
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sym·bol·ism   (sĭm'bə-lĭz'əm)   
n.  

  1. The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships.

  2. A system of symbols or representations.

  3. A symbolic meaning or representation.

  4. Revelation or suggestion of intangible conditions or truths by artistic invention.

  5. Symbolism The movement, theory, or practice of the late 19th-century Symbolists.

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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Word Origin & History

symbolism 
1654, "practice of representing things with symbols," from symbol. Attested from 1892 as a movement in Fr. literature that aimed at representing ideas and emotions by indirect suggestion rather than direct expression; rejecting realism and naturalism, it attached symbolic meaning to certain objects, words, etc. Fr. symboliste was coined by poet Paul Verlaine (1844-96) in 1885.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: sym·bol·ism
Pronunciation: 'sim-b&-"liz-&m
Function: noun
: the art or practice of using symbols especially by investingthings with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

symbolism sym·bol·ism (sĭm'bə-lĭz'əm)
n.

  1. A mental state in which everything that happens is regarded by the individual as symbolic of his or her own thoughts.

  2. The disguised representation in conscious thought of unconscious or repressed contents or events.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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