Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

emblem

/ˈɛmbləm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.58 in modern English

Syllables: em-blem
IPA: /ˈɛmbləm/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A representative symbol, such as a trademark, a badge or logo.

noun

Something that represents a larger whole.

noun

Inlay; inlaid or mosaic work; something ornamental inserted in a surface.

noun

A picture accompanied with a motto, a set of verses, etc. intended as a moral lesson or meditation.

noun

A picture placed on the field of the escutcheon.

verb

Obsolete; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"The medical trucks were emblazoned with the emblem of the Red Cross."
"His ſicatrice, with an Embleme of warre, heere on his ſiniſter cheeke;"
"The rampant poverty in the ethnic slums was just an emblem of the group's disenfranchisement by the society as a whole."
"Yes, there were instances of grandstanding and obsessive behaviour, but many were concealed at the time to help protect an aggressively peddled narrative of Pistorius the paragon, the emblem, the trailblazer."
"Broider'd the ground, more color'd than with stone Of costliest emblem"
"An Emblem is but a ſilent Parable:"

Etymology

From Old French embleme, from Latin emblēma (“raised ornaments on vessels, tessellated work, mosaic”), from Ancient Greek ἔμβλημα (émblēma, “an insertion”), from ἐμβάλλειν (embállein, “to put in, to lay on”). Doublet of emblema.

Origin

Source language: Old French

Word Breakdown

Root: *gʷelH-, embleme, emblēma, ἔμβλημα

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈɛmbləm/
British English: /ˈɛmbləm/

Usage

Inflected Forms

emblems (plural) emblems (present, singular) embleming (participle, present) emblemed (participle, past) emblemed (past)

Derived Forms

emblematic emblematical emblematist emblemize emblemless

Phrases

emblem book national emblem

Frequently Paired Words

microcosm model exemplar example representative sample specimen sampler

Synonyms

symbol token ensign charge allegory

Questions

How do you pronounce emblem?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛmbləm/.
What does emblem mean?: A representative symbol, such as a trademark, a badge or logo.
Where does emblem come from?: It is traced to Old French.

How to pronounce emblem

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “emblem”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɛmbləm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “emblem”.
Repeat and practice — Say “emblem” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.