emblem

1 of 2

noun

em·​blem ˈem-bləm How to pronounce emblem (audio)
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

emblem

2 of 2

verb

emblemed; embleming; emblems

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Emblem Has Greek Roots

Both emblem and its synonym symbol trace back to the Greek verb bállein, meaning "to throw." Emblem arose from embállein, meaning "to insert," while symbol comes from symbállein, Greek for "to throw together." Bállein is also an ancestor of the words parable (from parabállein, "to compare"), metabolism (from metabállein, "to change"), and problem (from probállein, "to throw forward"). Another, somewhat surprising, bállein descendant is devil, which comes from Greek diabolos, literally meaning "slanderer." Diabolos in turn comes from diabállein, meaning "to throw across" or "to slander."

Examples of emblem in a Sentence

Noun The flag is the emblem of our nation. He has come to be regarded as an emblem of conservatism.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Strings of clear lights decorate Wickham’s wreath, a mélange of gleaming black and silver hubcaps bearing the emblems of all kinds of cars — Toyota, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Chevrolet and one Tesla. Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 28 Nov. 2024 Everything from handmade scissors decorated with a stork (the bird emblem of Uzbekistan signifying peace, happiness and freedom) to miniature paintings where the paint has been swapped out for coffee can be bought here. Yasemen Kaner-White, theweek, 26 Nov. 2024 The brand’s dachshund mascot, an emblem of fun and loyalty, has been a central figure in its identity since the early days. Kate Hardcastle, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 Poe’s great, terrifying symbol, an emblem of lost wandering, absent compassion, and frightful omens, evoked Noah and the Ark and real-life apocalypse. Armond White, National Review, 20 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for emblem 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & New Latin; Middle French embleme "symbolic image typically accompanied by a motto and a verse exposition (books of which constituted a literary genre in the Renaissance)," borrowed from New Latin emblēmat-, emblēma, going back to Latin, "inlaid pavement, inlaid relief on the inside of a metal bowl or other vessel," borrowed from Greek emblēmat-, émblēma "something inserted (as a shaft into a spearhead), relief ornament decorating silver plate," from emblē-, stem in noun derivation of embállein "to drop or place in, throw into, insert" (from em-, variant of en- en- entry 2 before a labial + bállein "to reach by throwing, cast, strike, put, place") + -mat-, -ma, resultative noun suffix — more at devil entry 1

Note: The use of Latin emblēma in reference to a combination of symbolic image and text is apparently owed to the Italian jurist and scholar Andrea Alciato (1492-1550), who gave rise to the emblem book genre with his Emblematum liber (Augsburg, 1531). The semantic gap between the literal meaning of the word and Alciati's use of it has yet to be fully explained. Pace the comments by John F. Moffitt (Andrea Alciati, A Book of Emblems: The Emblematum Liber in Latin and English [Jefferson, NC: 2004], introduction, p. 7), neither Cicero, Quintilian, nor Coelius Rodiginus provide any definite basis for the meaning given emblēma by Alciato.

Verb

derivative of emblem entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1584, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of emblem was in 1584

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Dictionary Entries Near emblem

Cite this Entry

“Emblem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emblem. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

emblem

noun
em·​blem
ˈem-bləm
1
: an object or likeness used to suggest a thing that cannot be pictured
the flag is the emblem of our nation
2
: a device, symbol, design, or figure used as an identifying mark
the club's emblem

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