totem
[ toh-tuhm ]
/ ˈtoʊ təm /
noun
a natural object or an animate being, as an animal or bird, assumed as the emblem of a clan, family, or group.
an object or natural phenomenon with which a family or sib considers itself closely related.
a representation of such an object serving as the distinctive mark of the clan or group.
anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.
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Origin of totem
1750–60, Americanism;<Ojibwa ninto·te·m my totem, oto·te·man his totem (probably originally my clan-village-mate, derivative of stem o·te·- dwell in or as a village; compare o·te·na village)
OTHER WORDS FROM totem
to·tem·ic [toh-tem-ik], /toʊˈtɛm ɪk/, adjectiveto·tem·i·cal·ly, adverbsub·to·tem, nounsub·to·tem·ic, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for totem
British Dictionary definitions for totem
totem
/ (ˈtəʊtəm) /
noun
(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
a representation of such an object
Derived forms of totem
totemic (təʊˈtɛmɪk), adjectivetotemically, adverbWord Origin for totem
C18: from Ojibwa nintōtēm mark of my family
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for totem
totem
An animal, plant, or other object in nature that has a special relationship to a person, family, or clan and serves as a sign for that person or group.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Idioms and Phrases with totem
totem
see low man on the totem pole.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.