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Symbol

3 stages from Greek to English.

Today it means a mark or thing that represents something else

Where does the word "symbol" come from? It comes from Greek symbolon, passing through Late Latin before entering English (1590s).

symbolon→symbolum→symbol

Greek · ancient

'syn', together, plus 'ballein', to throw: a token broken in two, whose halves were matched to prove identity

Late Latin · ancient

the Christian creed, a 'sign' of faith

English · 1590s

"a sign representing something"

broadened to anything standing for something else

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Read the full story

Symbol’s story begins in Greek: symbolon meant “token, sign.” 'syn', together, plus 'ballein', to throw: a token broken in two, whose halves were matched to prove identity. By ancient, the word had taken hold in Late Latin as symbolum. The Christian creed, a 'sign' of faith. It reached English by 1590s as symbol. Broadened to anything standing for something else. Today, symbol means a mark or thing that represents something else.