emblem

[em-bluhm]

noun

1. an object or its representation, symbolizing a quality, state, class of persons, etc.; symbol.

   The olive branch is an emblem of peace.

   Synonyms: badge, device, image, figure, sign, token

2. a sign, design, or figure that identifies or represents something.

   the emblem of a school.

3. an allegorical picture, often inscribed with a motto supplemental to the visual image with which it forms a single unit of meaning.

4. Obsolete.,  an inlaid or tessellated ornament.

verb (used with object)

1. to represent with an emblem.

emblem

/ ˈɛmbləm /

noun

1. a visible object or representation that symbolizes a quality, type, group, etc, esp the concrete symbol of an abstract idea

   the dove is an emblem of peace

2. an allegorical picture containing a moral lesson, often with an explanatory motto or verses, esp one printed in an emblem book

Other Word Forms

• emblematic adjective
• emblematically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of emblem¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin emblēma inlaid or mosaic work < Greek émblēma something put on, equivalent to em- em- ² + blêma something thrown or put; compare embállein to throw in or on

Word History and Origins

Origin of emblem¹

C15: from Latin emblēma raised decoration, mosaic, from Greek, literally: something inserted, from emballein to insert, from ballein to throw

Example Sentences

AFP journalists spotted the pirate-like emblem, taken from the wildly popular Japanese manga series "One Piece", at protests in more than a dozen countries.

Read more on Barron's

This is not to say that “Wicked” was some noble emblem of blockbuster benevolence.

Read more on Salon

Mrs. Apple was likewise wrapped in a toga, although the Swanburne emblem embroidered in the corners of the fabric suggested use as a tablecloth in the recent past.

Read more on Literature

He approached the draft version of “The Waste Land” by Eliot with a pair of scissors, and returned with modernism’s emblem.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For all their readjustments, Grizzly Bear remains an emblem of what indie rock once promised: that a group of thoughtful people could build something meaningful together, without needing to distort themselves to fit the market.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• badge 
• banner 
• coat of arms 
• flag 
• image 
• insignia 
• logo 
• marker 
• memento 
• motto 
• reminder 
• symbol 
• trademark