symbola sign; something that represents something else: A dove is a symbol of peace.Not to be confused with:cymbal ? brass plate used as a percussion instrument: the crashing of the cymbalsAbused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embreesym·bol (s?m?b?l)n.1. a. Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible: The lamb is a symbol of innocence.b. An instance that typifies a broader pattern or situation: His striking out to end the rally was a symbol of everything that had gone wrong with the team over the past month.2. A printed or written sign used to represent an operation, element, quantity, quality, or relation, as in mathematics or music.3. Psychology An object or image that an individual unconsciously uses to represent repressed thoughts, feelings, or impulses: a phallic symbol.[Middle English symbole, creed, from Old French, from Latin symbolum, token, mark, from Greek sumbolon, token for identification (by comparison with a counterpart) : sun-, syn- + ballein, to throw; see gwel?- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.symbol (?s?mb?l) n1. something that represents or stands for something else, usually by convention or association, esp a material object used to represent something abstract2. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) an object, person, idea, etc, used in a literary work, film, etc, to stand for or suggest something else with which it is associated either explicitly or in some more subtle way3. (Mathematics) a letter, figure, or sign used in mathematics, science, music, etc, to represent a quantity, phenomenon, operation, function, etc4. (Psychoanalysis) psychoanal the end product, in the form of an object or act, of a conflict in the unconscious between repression processes and the actions and thoughts being repressed: the symbols of dreams. 5. (Psychology) psychol any mental process that represents some feature of external realityvb, -bols, -bolling or -bolled, -bols, -boling or -boled (tr) another word for symbolize[C15: from Church Latin symbolum, from Greek sumbolon sign, from sumballein to throw together, from syn- + ballein to throw]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014sym?bol (?s?m b?l) n., v. -boled, -bol?ing (esp. Brit.) -bolled, -bol?ling. n. 1. something used for or regarded as representing something else, esp. a material object representing something immaterial; emblem or sign. 2. a letter, figure, or other conventional mark designating an object, quantity, operation, function, etc., as in mathematics or chemistry. 3. Psychoanal. any object or idea that represents or disguises a repressed wish or impulse: dream symbols; phallic symbols. v.t. 4. to symbolize. [1400?50;
symbol
* symbol
as·ter·isk (?s?t?-r?sk?)n.1. A star-shaped figure (*) used chiefly to indicate an omission, a reference to a footnote, or an unattested word, sound, or affix.2. Mathematics A symbol used to indicate multiplication, as in 2 * 3 = 6.tr.v. as·ter·isked, as·ter·isk·ing, as·ter·isks To mark with an asterisk.[Middle English, from Late Latin asteriscus, from Greek asteriskos, diminutive of ast?r, star; see ster- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: The phonological phenomenon of metathesis involves the transposition of sounds or syllables in a word. Metathesis is responsible for the common rendering of ask as aks or ax. (This issue is discussed comprehensively at ax.) Similarly, one sometimes hears asterisk pronounced with the “sk” transposed to produce a (ks) sound, as though the word were spelled asterix or astericks. Then, perhaps because this symbol is often written as one of a series (as ***, for example), some people apparently infer that astericks is the plural of a singular asterick, pronounced with just a final (k) sound. In 2014, the Usage Panel overwhelmingly preferred the traditional pronunciation for asterisk, although 24 percent found the asterix pronunciation acceptable and 19 percent found asterick acceptable. A mere 7 percent personally preferred the asterix pronunciation, and only 6 percent preferred the asterick one. See Usage Note at ax2.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.asterisk (?æst?r?sk) n1. (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) a star-shaped character (*) used in printing or writing to indicate a cross-reference to a footnote, an omission, etc2. (Linguistics) a. (in historical linguistics) this sign used to indicate an unattested reconstructed formb. (in descriptive linguistics) this sign used to indicate that an expression is ungrammatical or in some other way unacceptablevb (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (tr) to mark with an asterisk[C17: from Late Latin asteriscus a small star, from Greek asteriskos, from ast?r star]Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014as?ter?isk (?æs t? r?sk) n. 1. a small starlike symbol (*), used in writing and printing as a reference mark or to indicate omission, doubtful matter, etc. 2. this symbol used in linguistics to mark an ungrammatical or otherwise unacceptable utterance. v.t. 3. to mark with an asterisk. [1350?1400; Middle English