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Totem Has Roots in an Algonquian Language
Totem comes to us from Ojibwa, an Algonquian language spoken by an American Indian people from the regions around Lake Superior. The most basic form of the word in Ojibwa is believed to be ote, but 18th-century English speakers encountered it as ototeman (meaning "his totem"), which became our word totem. In its most specific sense, totem refers to an emblematic depiction of an animal or plant that gives a family or clan its name and that often serves as a reminder of its ancestry. The term is also used broadly for any person or thing having particular emblematic or symbolic importance. The related adjective totemic describes something that serves as a totem, that depicts totems ("totemic basketry," for example), or that has the nature of a totem.
Examples of totem in a Sentence
Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 3 June 2025
Laura’s empty swimming pool comes in for a major metaphorical workout, and the film is dotted with memes and totems of a kind of witchcraft we’re never given the full decoder ring to.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2025
The world was enchanted, alive with gods, totems, and unseen forces.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025
Some of the pieces are even displayed on totems similar to the ones at Carlos Place.
—Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 27 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for totem
Cite this Entry
“Totem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totem. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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totem
noun
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