First Known Use: 15th century
Dictionary
1symbol
noun sym·bol \ˈsim-bəl\
: an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality
: a letter, group of letters, character, or picture that is used instead of a word or group of words
Full 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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Origin 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
2symbol
verb
symboled or symbolledsymbol·ing or symbol·ling
SYMBOLS Defined for Kids
symbol
noun sym·bol \ˈsim-bəl\
Definition of SYMBOL for Kids
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
noun sym·bol \ˈsim-bəl\
Medical Definition of SYMBOL
: something that stands for or suggests something else: as a : an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities b : an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed <phallic symbols>
—sym·bol·ic \sim-ˈbäl-ik\ adjective
—sym·bol·i·cal·ly \-i-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
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