symbol
noun
[ ˈsɪmb(ə)l ]
• a mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g. the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation.
• "the symbol r in Figure 5 represents a gene which is ineffective"
• a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.
• "the limousine was another symbol of his wealth and authority"
symbol
verb
• symbolize.
Origin:
late Middle English (denoting the Apostles' Creed): from Latin symbolum ‘symbol, Creed (as the mark of a Christian)’, from Greek sumbolon ‘mark, token’, from sun- ‘with’ + ballein ‘to throw’.
