Emblem
from
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
emblem
n 1: special design or visual object representing a quality,
type, group, etc.
2: a visible symbol representing an abstract idea [syn:
{emblem}, {allegory}]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Emblem \Em"blem\, n. [F. embl[`e]me, L. emblema, -atis, that
which is put in or on, inlaid work, fr. Gr. ? a thing put in
or on, fr. ? to throw, lay, put in; ? in + ? to throw. See
{In}, and {Parable}.]
1. Inlay; inlaid or mosaic work; something ornamental
inserted in a surface. [Obs.] --Milton.
[1913 Webster]
2. A visible sign of an idea; an object, or the figure of an
object, symbolizing and suggesting another object, or an
idea, by natural aptness or by association; a figurative
representation; a typical designation; a symbol; as, a
balance is an emblem of justice; a scepter, the emblem of
sovereignty or power; a circle, the emblem of eternity.
"His cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on his sinister
cheek." --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
3. A picture accompanied with a motto, a set of verse, or the
like, intended as a moral lesson or meditation.
[1913 Webster]
Note: Writers and artists of the 17th century gave much
attention and study to the composition of such emblems,
and many collections of them were published.
Syn: Sign; symbol; type; device; signal; token.
Usage: {Sign}, {Emblem}, {Symbol}, {Type}. Sign is the
generic word comprehending all significant
representations. An emblem is a visible object
representing another by a natural suggestion of
characteristic qualities, or an habitual and
recognized association; as, a circle, having no
apparent beginning or end, is an emblem of eternity; a
particular flag is the emblem of the country or ship
which has adopted it for a sign and with which it is
habitually associated. Between emblem and symbol the
distinction is slight, and often one may be
substituted for the other without impropriety. See
{Symbol}. Thus, a circle is either an emblem or a
symbol of eternity; a scepter, either an emblem or a
symbol of authority; a lamb, either an emblem or a
symbol of meekness. "An emblem is always of something
simple; a symbol may be of something complex, as of a
transaction . . . In consequence we do not speak of
actions emblematic." --C. J. Smith. A type is a
representative example, or model, exhibiting the
qualities common to all individuals of the class to
which it belongs; as, the Monitor is a type of a class
of war vessels.
[1913 Webster]
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
93 Moby Thesaurus words for "emblem":
adumbration, allegory, armory, attribute, badge, badge of office,
badges, baton, blazonry, brassard, button, cap and gown, case,
case in point, chain, chain of office, charactery, cipher,
class ring, coat, cockade, collar, conventional symbol, crest,
cross, decoration, demonstration, device, dress, eagle, emblems,
ensigns, example, exemplar, exemplification, explanation, exponent,
fasces, figurehead, fleur-de-lis, hammer and sickle, heraldry,
iconology, ideogram, illustration, insignia, instance, lapel pin,
livery, logo, logogram, logotype, love knot, mace, mantle,
markings, medal, mortarboard, object lesson, old school tie,
pictogram, pin, regalia, relevant instance, representation,
representative, ring, rose, school ring, seal, shamrock,
sigillography, sign, skull and crossbones, sphragistics, staff,
swastika, symbol, symbolic system, symbolism, symbolization,
symbology, tartan, thistle, tie, token, totem, totem pole, type,
typical example, uniform, verge, wand
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