Meanings
nounsymbol (plural symbols)
plural symbols
- 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 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.
- chemistryThe numerical expression which defines a plane's position relative to the assumed axes.
- obsoleteThat 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.
1651–1653, Jer[emy] Taylor, ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΣ [Eniautos]. A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Royston […], published 1655, →OCLC - obsoleteShare; allotment.
The persons who are to be judged […] shall all appear to receive their symbol.
1651–1653, Jer[emy] Taylor, ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΣ [Eniautos]. A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Royston […], published 1655, →OCLC - computingAn internal identifier used by a debugger to relate parts of the compiled program to the corresponding names in the source code.
- communicationsA signalling event on a communications channel; a signal that cannot be further divided into meaningful information.
verbsymbol (third-person singular simple present symbols, present participle (US) symboling or (UK) symbolling, simple past and past participle (US) symboled or (UK) symbolled)
present singular third person symbols · US participle present symboling · UK participle present symbolling · US participle past symboled · US past symboled · UK participle past symbolled · UK past 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?
1877, Alfred Tennyson, Harold: A Drama, London: Henry S. King & Co., →OCLC, Act V, scene i, page 128
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsomething visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible
Similar
Broader
representational process
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱómder.?
- Proto-Indo-European*sem-der.?
- Proto-Hellenic*ksún
- Ancient Greekσύν (sún)
- Ancient Greekσυμ- (sum-)
- Proto-Indo-European*gʷelH-
- Proto-Hellenic*gʷəlnō
- Ancient Greekβάλλω (bállō)
- Ancient Greekσῠμβάλλω (sŭmbállō)
- Ancient Greekσύμβολον (súmbolon)
- Latinsymbolum
- Frenchsymbole
- Englishsymbol
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”).
More words from French, Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans simbool
- simboolcharacter or glyph
Ancient Greek σύμβολον, σημεῖον
- σύμβολον (súmbolon)character or glyph
- σημεῖον (sēmeîon)character or glyph
Arabic رَمْز, عَلَامَة
- رَمْز (ramz)character or glyph
- عَلَامَة (ʕalāma)character or glyph
- رَمْز (ramz)object meant to represent another
- شَارَة (šāra)object meant to represent another
- شِعَار (šiʕār)object meant to represent another
Basque ikur
- ikurcharacter or glyph
Bengali প্রতীক, সঙ্কেত
- প্রতীক (protik)character or glyph
- সঙ্কেত (śoṅket)character or glyph
- চিহ্ন (cihno)character or glyph
- প্রতীক (protik)object meant to represent another
Bulgarian си́мвол, си́мвол
- си́мвол (símvol)character or glyph
- си́мвол (símvol)object meant to represent another
Catalan símbol, símbol
- símbolcharacter or glyph
- símbolobject meant to represent another
Chinese Cantonese 符號 /符号
- 符號 /符号character or glyph
Chinese Mandarin 符號 /符号, 象徵 /象征
- 符號 /符号 (fúhào)character or glyph
- 象徵 /象征 (xiàngzhēng)object meant to represent another
Czech symbol, symbol
- symbolcharacter or glyph
- symbolobject meant to represent another
Danish symbol, tegn
- symbolcharacter or glyph
- tegncharacter or glyph
- symbolobject meant to represent another
Dutch symbool, symbool
- symboolcharacter or glyph
- symboolobject meant to represent another
Esperanto simbolo, simbolo
- simbolocharacter or glyph
- simboloobject meant to represent another
Estonian sümbol, sümbol
- sümbolcharacter or glyph
- sümbolobject meant to represent another
Finnish merkki, symboli
- merkkicharacter or glyph
- symbolicharacter or glyph
- symbolitype of noun
- symbolisummary of a dogmatic statement of faith
- symboliobject meant to represent another
- merkkiobject meant to represent another
- tunnusobject meant to represent another
French symbole, symbole
- symbolecharacter or glyph
- symboletype of noun
- symbolesummary of a dogmatic statement of faith
- symboleobject meant to represent another
German Symbol, Zeichen
- Symbolcharacter or glyph
- Zeichencharacter or glyph
- Symbolobject meant to represent another
Greek σύμβολο, σύμβολο
- σύμβολο (sýmvolo)character or glyph
- σύμβολο (sýmvolo)summary of a dogmatic statement of faith
- σύμβολο (sýmvolo)object meant to represent another
Hebrew סֵמֶל, סַמְמָן
- סֵמֶל (sémel)character or glyph
- סַמְמָן (sam'mán)summary of a dogmatic statement of faith
- סֵמֶל (sémel)object meant to represent another
Hindi प्रतीक, चिह्न
- प्रतीक (pratīk)character or glyph
- चिह्न (cihna)character or glyph
- संकेत (saṅket)character or glyph
- निशान (niśān)character or glyph
- प्रतीक (pratīk)object meant to represent another
Hungarian szimbólum, szimbólum
- szimbólumcharacter or glyph
- szimbólumobject meant to represent another
- jelképobject meant to represent another
Icelandic tákn, tákn
- tákncharacter or glyph
- táknobject meant to represent another
Italian simbolo
- simbolocharacter or glyph
Japanese 記号, 符号
- 記号 (kigō)character or glyph
- 符号 (fugō)character or glyph
- 象徴 (shōchō)object meant to represent another
- シンボル (shinboru)object meant to represent another
Korean 상징, 부호
- 상징 (sangjing)character or glyph
- 부호 (buho)character or glyph
- 기호 (giho)character or glyph
- 상징 (sangjing)object meant to represent another
- 심벌 (simbeol)object meant to represent another
Latin symbolum
- symbolumcharacter or glyph
Latvian simbols, simbols
- simbolscharacter or glyph
- simbolsobject meant to represent another
Lithuanian simbolis, simbolis
- simbolischaracter or glyph
- simbolisobject meant to represent another
Malay lambang, simbol
- lambangcharacter or glyph
- simbolcharacter or glyph
- lambangobject meant to represent another
- simbolobject meant to represent another
Norwegian Bokmål symbol, tegn
- symbolcharacter or glyph
- tegncharacter or glyph
- symbolsummary of a dogmatic statement of faith
- symbolobject meant to represent another
Norwegian Nynorsk symbol, symbol
- symbolsummary of a dogmatic statement of faith
- symbolobject meant to represent another
Polish symbol, symbol
- symbolcharacter or glyph
- symbolsummary of a dogmatic statement of faith
Portuguese símbolo, símbolo
- símbolocharacter or glyph
- símboloobject meant to represent another
Punjabi ਚਿੰਨ੍ਹ
- ਚਿੰਨ੍ਹ (cinnh)character or glyph
Romanian simbol, simbol
- simbolcharacter or glyph
- simbolobject meant to represent another
Russian си́мвол, знак
- си́мвол (símvol)character or glyph
- знак (znak)character or glyph
- си́мвол (símvol)type of noun
- си́мвол (símvol)summary of a dogmatic statement of faith
- си́мвол (símvol)object meant to represent another
- эмбле́ма (embléma)object meant to represent another
- знак (znak)object meant to represent another
Slovak symbol, symbol
- symbolcharacter or glyph
- symbolobject meant to represent another
Spanish símbolo, símbolo
- símbolocharacter or glyph
- símboloobject meant to represent another
Swedish symbol, tecken
- symbolcharacter or glyph
- teckencharacter or glyph
- symbolobject meant to represent another
Tagalog simbolo, sagisag
- simbolocharacter or glyph
- sagisagcharacter or glyph
- simbolóobject meant to represent another
- sagisagobject meant to represent another
Tamil சின்னம், குறியீடு
- சின்னம் (ciṉṉam)character or glyph
- குறியீடு (kuṟiyīṭu)object meant to represent another
Thai สัญลักษณ์, สัญลักษณ์
- สัญลักษณ์ (sǎn-yá-lák)character or glyph
- สัญลักษณ์ (sǎn-yá-lák)object meant to represent another
Turkish simge, sembol
- simgecharacter or glyph
- sembolcharacter or glyph
- işaretcharacter or glyph
- sembolobject meant to represent another
Ukrainian си́мвол, знак
- си́мвол (sýmvol)character or glyph
- знак (znak)character or glyph
- си́мвол (sýmvol)summary of a dogmatic statement of faith
- си́мвол (sýmvol)object meant to represent another
Urdu عَلامَت, نِشان
- عَلامَت ('alāmat)character or glyph
- نِشان (niśān)character or glyph
- اِشارَہ (iśāra)character or glyph
- رَمْز (ramz)character or glyph
Vietnamese ký hiệu, biểu tượng
- ký hiệucharacter or glyph
- biểu tượngcharacter or glyph
- ký hiệuobject meant to represent another
- biểu tượngobject meant to represent another
Welsh llythyren, symbol
- llythyrencharacter or glyph
- symbolcharacter or glyph
- symbolobject meant to represent another
Yiddish סימבאָל, צייכן
- סימבאָל (simbol)character or glyph
- צייכן (tseykhn)character or glyph
- סימבאָל (simbol)object meant to represent another
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with symbol
All rhymes →Sounds the same
Cite this entry
APA
symbol. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/symbol
MLA
“symbol.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/symbol. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “symbol,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/symbol.
Source: symbol on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.