EMBLEM • E-FREE TRANSLATION.COM • Definition of Emblem

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/ˈɛmbləm/ Listen

noun

Emblem n.

1.

Inlay; inlaid or mosaic work; something ornamental inserted in a surface. (Obs.)

2.

A visible sign of an idea; an object, or the figure of an object, symbolizing and suggesting another object, or an idea, by natural aptness or by association; a figurative representation; a typical designation; a symbol; as, a balance is an emblem of justice; a scepter, the emblem of sovereignty or power; a circle, the emblem of eternity. "His cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on his sinister cheek."

3.

A picture accompanied with a motto, a set of verse, or the like, intended as a moral lesson or meditation. Note: Writers and artists of the 17th century gave much attention and study to the composition of such emblems, and many collections of them were published.

Synonyms: Sign; symbol; type; device; signal; token. Sign, Emblem, Symbol, Type. Sign is the generic word comprehending all significant representations. An emblem is a visible object representing another by a natural suggestion of characteristic qualities, or an habitual and recognized association; as, a circle, having no apparent beginning or end, is an emblem of eternity; a particular flag is the emblem of the country or ship which has adopted it for a sign and with which it is habitually associated. Between emblem and symbol the distinction is slight, and often one may be substituted for the other without impropriety. See Symbol. Thus, a circle is either an emblem or a symbol of eternity; a scepter, either an emblem or a symbol of authority; a lamb, either an emblem or a symbol of meekness. "An emblem is always of something simple; a symbol may be of something complex, as of a transaction... In consequence we do not speak of actions emblematic." A type is a representative example, or model, exhibiting the qualities common to all individuals of the class to which it belongs; as, the Monitor is a type of a class of war vessels.

verb

Emblem v. t. (past & past part. emblemed; pres. part. embleming) To represent by an emblem; to symbolize. (R.) "Emblemed by the cozening fig tree."

See images of 'Emblem'

Etymology of 'Emblem'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Emblem" Quotes from Famous Books

... pp. 136. 421.).—This title has changed into a question of the open hand as an emblem of power. In addition to the instances cited by your correspondents, the ...

— Notes and Queries, Number 216, December 17, 1853 • Various

... great Shepherd and yearn to find living pastures and rest beside still waters. These long for the Christlike- ness that is above the present status of religion and be- yond the walks of common life, quite on the verge of [10] heaven. Without the cross and healing, Christianity has no central emblem, no history. ...

— Miscellaneous Writings, 1883-1896 • Mary Baker Eddy

... than a thousand years of God's special favor and guardian care, manifested to the chosen people, was open to the eye of Jesus. There was Mount Moriah, where the son of promise, an unresisting victim, had been bound to the altar,—emblem of the offering of the Son of God.(5) There, the covenant of blessing, the glorious Messianic promise, had been confirmed to the father of the faithful. There, the flames of the sacrifice ascending to heaven ...

— The Great Controversy Between Christ and Satan • Ellen G. White

... through popular clamor will invariably produce substantial unanimity of thought and action on the part of the pariah against the common interest, and, in the last analysis, against the flag itself, as the emblem of governmental discrimination and oppression. The Helots of Sparta and the Jews under the Pharaohs were of this sort. The Jews in Russia and Germany and the Irish in Great Britain are modern examples. ...

— Twentieth Century Negro Literature - Or, A Cyclopedia of Thought on the Vital Topics Relating - to the American Negro • Various

... is an emblem of pure motherhood. Like the opened radiant rose the Christian mother is in the full vigor of life; her heart open with true love for her husband and children; and she unfolds her soul to heaven, so that through prayer she may receive the needed assistance ...

— The Excellence of the Rosary - Conferences for Devotions in Honor of the Blessed Virgin • M. J. Frings

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