symbol
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symbol
- /ˈsɪmbəl/
Sounds like cymbal · Rhymes with -ɪmbəl
Where it comes from
From French symbole, from Latin symbolus, symbolum (“a sign, mark, token, symbol, in Late Latin also a creed”), from Ancient Greek σύμβολον (súmbolon, “a sign by which one infers something; a mark, token, badge, ticket, tally, check, a signal, watchword, outward sign”), from συμβάλλω (sumbállō, “to throw together, dash together, compare, correspond, tally, come to a conclusion”), from σύν (sún, “with, together”) + βάλλω (bállō, “to throw, put”).
noun symbols
- A character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object. "$" is the symbol for dollars in the US and some other countries.
- A thing considered the embodiment or cardinal exemplar of a concept, theme, or other thing. The lion is the symbol of courage; the lamb is the symbol of meekness or patience.
- A type of noun whereby the form refers to the same entity independently of the context; a symbol arbitrarily denotes a referent. See also icon and index.
- A summary of a dogmatic statement of faith. The Apostles, Nicene Creed and the confessional books of Protestantism, such as the Augsburg Confession of Lutheranism are considered symbols.
- The numerical expression which defines a plane's position relative to the assumed axes.
- That which is thrown into a common fund; hence, an appointed or accustomed duty. They do their work in the days of peace […] and come to pay their symbol in a war or in a plague.
- Share; allotment. The persons who are to be judged […] shall all appear to receive their symbol.
- An internal identifier used by a debugger to relate parts of the compiled program to the corresponding names in the source code.
- A signalling event on a communications channel; a signal that cannot be further divided into meaningful information.
verb symbols · symboling · symbolling · symboled · symbolled
- To symbolize. […] They told me that the Holy Rood had lean'd / And bow'd above me; […] / [I]f it bow'd, whether it symbol'd ruin / Or glory, who shall tell?
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: symbolizing, symbolization, standing for, notation, pictogram, symbolic, acronym, ampersand, image, symbolism, abbreviation, reference, number, sign, numbering, character
Translations
Every language
noun object meant to represent another
| Español | símbolo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 상징 sangjing, 심벌 simbeol |
| 日本語 | 象徴 shōchō, シンボル shinboru |
| 中文 | 象徵 /象征 xiàngzhēng |
| हिन्दी | प्रतीक pratīk |
| Português | símbolo |
| Français | symbole |
| Deutsch | Symbol |
| Ελληνικά | σύμβολο sýmvolo |
| Română | simbol |
| Русский | си́мвол símvol, эмбле́ма embléma, знак znak |
| Tiếng Việt | ký hiệu, biểu tượng |
| العربية | رَمْز ramz, شَارَة šāra, شِعَار šiʕār |
| עברית | סֵמֶל sémel |
noun character or glyph
| Español | símbolo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 상징 sangjing, 부호 buho, 기호 giho |
| 日本語 | 記号 kigō, 符号 fugō |
| 中文 | 符號 /符号 fúhào |
| हिन्दी | प्रतीक pratīk, चिह्न cihna, संकेत saṅket, निशान niśān |
| Português | símbolo |
| Français | symbole |
| Deutsch | Symbol, Zeichen |
| Italiano | simbolo |
| Ελληνικά | σύμβολο sýmvolo |
| Română | simbol |
| Русский | си́мвол símvol, знак znak |
| Tiếng Việt | ký hiệu, biểu tượng |
| العربية | رَمْز ramz, عَلَامَة ʕalāma |
| עברית | סֵמֶל sémel |
Talk about this word "symbol." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/symbol. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. symbol. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/symbol "symbol." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/symbol.Cite this
@misc{symbol_2026,
title = {symbol},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/symbol},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
