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Emblem Has Greek Roots
Both emblem and its synonym symbol trace back to the Greek verb bállein, meaning "to throw." Emblem arose from embállein, meaning "to insert," while symbol comes from symbállein, Greek for "to throw together." Bállein is also an ancestor of the words parable (from parabállein, "to compare"), metabolism (from metabállein, "to change"), and problem (from probállein, "to throw forward"). Another, somewhat surprising, bállein descendant is devil, which comes from Greek diabolos, literally meaning "slanderer." Diabolos in turn comes from diabállein, meaning "to throw across" or "to slander."
Synonyms
Examples of emblem in a Sentence
Ed Caesar, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
As tourists stumble by with tall cans of Bud Light Lime and cigarettes in hand, Sell’s tattooed, sinewy limbs stretch a matching Lacoste tee and shorts, with the requisite crocodile emblems and matching bright-red shoes.
—Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024
The complex draws hundreds of thousands of tourists annually—particularly to the Angkor Wat temple, an emblem of centuries-old design and urban planning.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
The brand’s logo, an arm wielding an ax, was reimagined wearing a sleeve in a nod to James, and incorporates the baller’s signature crown emblem.
—Violet Goldstone, WWD, 28 Sep. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near emblem
Cite this Entry
“Emblem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emblem. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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