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Symbol
Definitions
- 1 A character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object.
""$" is the symbol for dollars in the US and some other countries."
- 2 something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible wordnet
- 3 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."
- 4 an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance wordnet
- 5 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.
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 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."
- 7 The numerical expression which defines a plane's position relative to the assumed axes.
- 8 That which is thrown into a common fund; hence, an appointed or accustomed duty. obsolete
"They do their work in the days of peace […] and come to pay their symbol in a war or in a plague."
- 9 Share; allotment. obsolete
"The persons who are to be judged […] shall all appear to receive their symbol."
- 10 An internal identifier used by a debugger to relate parts of the compiled program to the corresponding names in the source code.
- 11 A signalling event on a communications channel; a signal that cannot be further divided into meaningful information.
- 1 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?"
Etymology
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, “I throw together, dash together, compare, correspond, tally, come to a conclusion”), from σύν (sún, “with, together”) + βάλλω (bállō, “I throw, put”).
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, “I throw together, dash together, compare, correspond, tally, come to a conclusion”), from σύν (sún, “with, together”) + βάλλω (bállō, “I throw, put”).
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