Main Entry: ¹em·blem

Pronunciation: \ˈem-bləm\

Function: 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