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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
Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 19 May 2025
The facility, to be housed at Twickenham’s historic Stage 3, will feature a massive 24 x 4.5 meter back wall, 105 square meter LED ceiling, and additional mobile LED totem walls, complete with a permanent turntable and motion control crane.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 15 Apr. 2025
One example is last year’s soft opening on remote Prince of Wales Island of a new port in Klawock, a small town with a rich Tlingit heritage and a renowned totem park.
—Fran Golden, AFAR Media, 26 Mar. 2025
Expanding the song’s world of stray thoughts and heartbreak totems while expertly navigating the story’s twists and turns, Swift turned a for-the-fans album cut into an authoritative epic.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 3 June 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 3 Jul. 2025.
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totem
noun
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