Totem

Totem
Totem To"tem, n. [Massachusetts Indian wutohtimoin that to which a person or place belongs.] 1. A rude picture, as of a bird, beast, or the like, used by the North American Indians as a symbolic designation, as of a family or a clan; also, the object or animal itself, considered as an symbol of the family. [1913 Webster]

And they painted on the grave posts Of the graves, yet unforgotten, Each his own ancestral totem Each the symbol of his household; Figures of the bear and reindeer, Of the turtle, crane, and beaver. --Longfellow. [1913 Webster]

The totem, the clan deity, the beast or bird who in some supernatural way attends to the clan and watches over it. --Bagehot. [1913 Webster]

2. Anything which serves as a venerated or mystic symbol or emblem. [PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • totem — totem …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • totem — [ tɔtɛm ] n. m. • totam 1794; angl. totem (1776), d un mot algonquin ♦ Ethnol., sociol. Animal (quelquefois végétal, et très rarement chose) considéré comme l ancêtre et par suite le protecteur d un clan, objet de tabous et de devoirs… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • totem — TOTÉM, totemuri, s.n. 1. Animal, plantă sau, rar, obiect considerat de unele triburi primitive ca strămoş şi protector al populaţiei respective şi venerat ca atare. 2. Imagine, reprezentată de obicei sculptural, a unui totem (1). [pl. şi: (m.)… …   Dicționar Român

  • Totem — Totem …   Википедия

  • Totem — Sn von Naturvölkern verehrtes Bildnis per. Wortschatz exot. (18. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus ne. totem, aus einer nordamerikanischen Indianersprache der Algonkin Familie ototeman Stammeszeichen , zu ote Sippe . Gegenstand, der als Verkörperung… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • Totem (BD) — Totem (revue) Pour les articles homonymes, voir totem. Totem 1re série est une revue de l éditeur de Petit format Aventures Voyages 49 numéros ont été édités d avril 1956 à mai 1960. Elle fut remplacée par la revue Kris Le Shérif. Les Séries Baby …   Wikipédia en Français

  • tótem — (Del ingl. totem, y este del algonquino nin totem). 1. m. Objeto de la naturaleza, generalmente un animal, que en la mitología de algunas sociedades se toma como emblema protector de la tribu o del individuo, y a veces como ascendiente o… …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • totem — (n.) animal or natural object considered as the emblem of a family or clan, 1760, from Algonquian (probably Ojibwa) odoodeman his sibling kin, his group or family, hence, his family mark; also attested in French c.1600 in form aoutem among the… …   Etymology dictionary

  • totem — s. m. 1. Animal, planta ou objeto considerado, entre certas tribos ou clãs, como antepassado do homem. 2. Representação gráfica desse animal, planta ou objeto. • Sinônimo geral: TÓTEME   ‣ Etimologia: inglês totem …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • totem — [tōt′əm] n. [< an Algonquian language: cf. Ojibwa nindoodeem, my totem] 1. among some peoples, an animal or natural object considered as being ancestrally related to a given kin or descent group and taken as its symbol 2. an image of this 3. a …   English World dictionary

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