token
/ˈtoʊkən/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.82 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Something serving as an expression of something else.
noun
A keepsake.
noun
A piece of stamped metal or plastic, etc., used as a form of currency; a voucher that can be exchanged for goods or services.
Example Sentences
- "According to the Bible, the rainbow is a token of God's covenant with Noah."
- "Please accept this bustier as a token of our time together."
- "Subway tokens are being replaced by magnetic cards."
- "A book token is the easiest option for a Christmas gift."
- "Everyone pick a token (hat, wheelbarrow, thimble, etc.) and place it on the Start square."
- "His apology was no more than a token."
Etymology
From Middle English token, taken, from Old English tācn (“sign, symbol”), from Proto-West Germanic *taikn, from Proto-Germanic *taikną (“indicator, symbol, sign”), from Proto-Indo-European *deyḱ- (“to show, instruct, teach”) with Germanic *k rather than *h by Kluge's law. Cognate with Scots takin, taiken (“token, sign”), Saterland Frisian Teken (“sign, symbol”), West Frisian teken (“sign, mark, symbol”), Dutch teken (“sign, indication, symbol”), German Low German Teken (“sign, symbol”), German Zeichen (“sign, token”), Danish tegn (“sign, token, character”), Swedish tecken (“sign, indication”), Faroese tekn, tekin (“mark, sign, signal”), Icelandic teikn (“sign, omen”), Icelandic tákn (“symbol”). The verb is from Middle English toknen, from Old English tācnian.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *deyḱ-, token, tācn, *taikn, *taikną, toknen
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈtoʊkən/
- British English: /ˈtəʊkən/
Usage
Inflected Forms
tokens (plural)
more token (comparative)
most token (superlative)
tokens (present, singular)
tokening (participle, present)
tokened (participle, past)
tokened (past)