# symbol

Pronunciation: say "SIM-buhl" /ˈsɪmbəl/

## Noun

1. A written character or glyph that represents an idea, concept, or object.
   - Simple: A mark, letter, or sign that stands for an idea or thing.
   - _The mathematician introduced a new symbol to represent the unknown value._
   - _Ancient scripts often combined picture-like symbols into longer words._
2. A person or thing regarded as the embodiment or leading example of a concept, theme, or other thing.
   - Simple: A person or thing that stands for a bigger idea.
   - _The dove became a symbol of peace after the long war._
   - _To many people, she remains a symbol of quiet courage._
3. A kind of sign whose form refers to the same thing regardless of context, denoting its referent by arbitrary convention rather than resemblance; contrasted with icon and index.
   - Simple: A kind of sign that stands for a thing because people agree it does, not because it looks like it.
   - _Spoken words count as symbols because nothing in their sound resembles what they name._
   - _Unlike a picture, a symbol denotes its object by convention alone._
4. An internal identifier a debugger uses to link parts of a compiled program to the matching names in the source code.
   - Simple: In computer programs, a name that links the built program back to the words a programmer wrote.
   - _The debugger could not find the symbol for that function in the build._
   - _Stripping the symbols from the binary makes it smaller but harder to debug._
5. A signaling event on a communications channel: a signal that cannot be divided further into smaller units of meaningful information.
   - Simple: In sending data, the smallest signal that carries meaning and cannot be split into smaller pieces.
   - _Each symbol on the channel carried two bits of data._
   - _At higher transmission speeds, the receiver must distinguish symbols arriving microseconds apart._
6. A summary or formal statement that sets out the central articles of a religious faith; a creed.
   - Simple: A short statement that sums up the main beliefs of a religion.
   - _The bishop required every candidate to recite the symbol before baptism._
   - _Disputes over a single word in the symbol divided the early church._
7. A numerical expression that defines a crystal plane's position relative to the assumed reference axes.
   - Simple: In the study of crystals, a set of numbers showing how a flat face sits compared to the main directions.
   - _The crystallographer wrote the symbol for that face as three integers._
   - _Each face of the crystal has its own symbol describing its tilt._

## Verb

8. To stand as a representation or embodiment of something; to symbolize it.
   - Simple: To stand for or represent something.
   - _In her paintings, doves symbol the hope of a divided nation._
   - _He chose an open door to symbol new beginnings._

## Noun

9. A contribution thrown into a common fund; hence, an appointed or customary duty. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Money or goods put into a shared fund, or a duty someone is expected to do.
   - _Each guest laid down his symbol before the feast began._
   - _He grumbled at paying so large a symbol for so plain a supper._
10. A share or allotted portion. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A part given to one person as their share.

## Origin

Symbol comes through French 'symbole' and Latin 'symbolus/symbolum' (a sign, mark, or token) from Ancient Greek 'súmbolon' (a sign, mark, token, or signal). That in turn came from 'sumbállō' (I throw together, compare), formed from 'sún' (together) and 'bállō' (I throw, put).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/symbol (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).