Definition of symbol
1 : an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine : creed
2 : 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 qualities
4 : 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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Examples of symbol in a Sentence
the traditional physician's symbol of a staff entwined with a snake
the symbol ¶ indicates where a new paragraph should begin
Origin and Etymology of symbol
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
First Known Use: 15th century
symbol
Definition of symbol
symboled
orsymbolled
;symboling
orsymbolling
1832
First Known Use of symbol
1832
SYMBOL Defined for English Language Learners
symbol
playDefinition of symbol for English Language Learners
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: an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality
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: a letter, group of letters, character, or picture that is used instead of a word or group of words
SYMBOL Defined for Kids
symbol
playDefinition of symbol for Students
1 : something that stands for something else : emblem The eagle is a symbol of the United States.
2 : a letter, character, or sign used instead of a word to represent a quantity, position, relationship, direction, or something to be done The sign + is the symbol for addition.
Medical Dictionary
symbol
playMedical Definition of symbol
: something that stands for or suggests something else: asa: an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualitiesb: an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed phallic symbols
Learn More about symbol
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See words that rhyme with symbol Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for symbol Spanish Central: Translation of symbol Nglish: Translation of symbol for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of symbol for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about symbol
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