mascot
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of mascot
1880–85; < French mascotte < Provençal mascoto talisman, charm, derivative of masco sorceress. See mask
Explanation
A mascot is an animal or character that represents a group. If your high school soccer team is called "the weasels," it means that a weasel must be your school's mascot. Some mascots supposedly bring luck to an organization or club, and others are used as marketing for a team or brand. Smokey the Bear is the mascot of the U.S. Forest Service and stars in commercials urging the public to help prevent forest fires. Tony the Tiger is also a mascot of sorts, for Frosted Flakes cereal. Sports team mascots actually appear at games and matches, dancing around between innings and high-fiving little kids in the stands.
Vocabulary lists containing mascot
English Words Derived from French, List 7
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for April 8–April 14, 2023
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But Mascot Madness Entertainment has challenged the council to explain when the temporary ban was put in place, how the decision was reached and how many accidents it had recorded in the region.
From BBC • May 24, 2023
The process took a year and a half, and after that, she and her father pitched the book to publisher after publisher until they finally landed a deal with Mascot Books.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2021
Marty, a shelter cat, won 53% of the Mount Washington Mascot Primary in January 2008, the same time that Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican John McCain won their respective races in the first-in-the-nation presidential primary.
From Washington Times • Nov. 9, 2020
More than 2,200 high schools use Native imagery in their school names and mascots, according to Mascot DB, a database of team names.
From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2020
“Not really. It’s kind of disappointing, but I’m late to the Great Mascot Debate,” Elle said.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
