symbol
/ˈsɪmbəl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.31 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A thing considered the embodiment or cardinal exemplar of a concept, theme, or other thing.
noun
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.
noun
An internal identifier used by a debugger to relate parts of the compiled program to the corresponding names in the source code.
Example Sentences
- ""$" is the symbol for dollars in the US and some other countries."
- "Chinese people use word symbols for writing."
- "The lion is the symbol of courage; the lamb is the symbol of meekness or patience."
- "The Apostles, Nicene Creed and the confessional books of Protestantism, such as the Augsburg Confession of Lutheranism are considered symbols."
- "They do their work in the days of peace […] and come to pay their symbol in a war or in a plague."
- "The persons who are to be judged […] shall all appear to receive their symbol."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱómder.? Proto-Indo-European *sem-der.? Proto-Hellenic *ksún Ancient Greek σύν (sún) Ancient Greek συμ- (sum-) Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH-der. Proto-Hellenic *gʷəlnō Ancient Greek βάλλω (bállō) Ancient Greek σῠμβάλλω (sŭmbállō)der. Ancient Greek σύμβολον (súmbolon)bor. Latin symbolumbor. French symboleder. English symbol 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”).
Origin
- Source language: French