Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - symbol

 I. noun  Etymology: in sense 1, from Late Latin ~um, from Late Greek ~on, from Greek, token, sign; in other senses from Latin ~um token, sign, ~, from Greek ~on, literally, token of identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw together, compare, from syn- + ballein to throw — more at devil  Date: 15th century  1. an authoritative summary of faith or doctrine ; creed  2. something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance; especially a visible sign of something invisible the lion is a ~ of courage  3. an arbitrary or conventional sign used in writing or printing relating to a particular field to represent operations, quantities, elements, relations, or qualities  4. an object or act representing something in the unconscious mind that has been repressed phallic ~s  5. an act, sound, or object having cultural significance and the capacity to excite or objectify a response  II. verb  (-boled or -bolled; -boling or -bolling)  Date: 1832 ~ize