symbol

Main Entry:: ¹sym·bol
Pronunciation:: \ˈsim-bəl\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: in sense 1, from Late Latin symbolum, from Late Greek symbolon, from Greek, token, sign; in other senses from Latin symbolum token, sign, symbol, from Greek symbolon, literally, token of identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw together, compare, from syn- + ballein to throw — more at devil
Date:: 15th century

1: an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine : creed2: something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance ; especially : a visible sign of something invisible <the lion is a symbol of courage>3: an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities4: an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed <phallic symbols>5: an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response

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