totem

[ toh-tuhm ]
See synonyms for: totemtotemstotemic on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a natural object or an animate being, as an animal or bird, assumed as the emblem of a clan, family, or group.

  2. an object or natural phenomenon that a family or descendant group considers themselves closely related to.

  1. a representation of a natural object, animate being, etc., that serves as the distinctive mark or emblem of a clan, family, or group.

  2. anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.

Origin of totem

1
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”)

Other words from totem

  • to·tem·ic [toh-tem-ik], /toʊˈtɛm ɪk/, adjective
  • sub·to·tem, noun

Words Nearby totem

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use totem in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for totem

totem

/ (ˈtəʊtəm) /


noun
  1. (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

  2. a representation of such an object

Origin of totem

1
C18: from Ojibwa nintōtēm mark of my family

Derived forms of totem

  • totemic (təʊˈtɛmɪk), adjective
  • totemically, adverb

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.

Other 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.