totem
Americannoun
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a natural object or an animate being, as an animal or bird, assumed as the emblem of a clan, family, or group.
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an object or natural phenomenon that a family or descendant group considers themselves closely related to.
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a representation of a natural object, animate being, etc., that serves as the distinctive mark or emblem of a clan, family, or group.
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anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.
noun
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(in some societies, esp among North American Indians) an object, species of animal or plant, or natural phenomenon symbolizing a clan, family, etc, often having ritual associations
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a representation of such an object
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of totem
An Americanism first recorded in 1750–60; from Ojibwe ninto·te·m “my totem,” oto·te·man “his totem” (probably originally “my/his clan-village-mate,” derivative of stem o·te·- “dwell in or as a village”; compare o·te·na “village”)
Explanation
A totem is an emblem or badge that features an animal or plant. Each totem represents a family, clan, or tribe. Do you come from a long line of fishermen? Perhaps your family’s totem is a trout. Any group can have a totem, but the word totem is from the Algonquian (Native American) word odoodeman for "his family mark." Totems are pictures — usually on badges or emblems — of animals or plants that represent a group of people, especially an extended family or clan. A totem could be a grizzly bear, oak tree, catfish, or just about any other living thing. Like a flag, a totem means a lot to the people it represents.
Vocabulary lists containing totem
Born a Crime
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Art History
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The Ear, the Eye and the Arm
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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.
See Examples For:
Fashioning your lead actor as a totem to project your thoughts about apathy and loneliness would be a risky move for anyone other than writer-director Amanda Kramer, who’s made a career out of brazen chicness.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
His sculptures, composed of stacked forms and glazed in natural colors, bring to mind chimneys, duct work and totem poles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
"It is a totem of celebration for Chinese people and people around the world," he said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 13, 2026
The absentee totem, the one with the power to make all the major calls he pleases without having the responsibility of justifying them in any public forum.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2025
“I’m proud that you carved a totem and were honest with me,” Edwin said.
From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen
Early in his career Noguchi was identified as a sculptor, known for modernist abstractions—enigmas in wood, stone, metals, plaster, ceramic and aluminum—that conjure totems, boulders, edifices and artifacts, while synthesizing Western and Eastern traditions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Turner, who died Wednesday at age 87, elbowed his way to the forefront of modern television by prioritizing profit over deeper questions about whether certain cultural totems should be held sacrosanct.
From Salon ● May 8, 2026
It's been an uncomfortably long time since Scotland has seen the best of McGinn and McTominay, their twin totems, and Ryan Christie hasn't started any of Bournemouth's last five games.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025
What Lévi-Strauss concluded about totems can be applied to dioramas, too.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2024
Shanti pointed to a copse just beyond the ring of totems.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
