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Totem Has Roots in an Algonquian Language
Totem comes to us from Ojibwa, an Algonquian language spoken by an American Indian people from the regions around Lake Superior. The most basic form of the word in Ojibwa is believed to be ote, but 18th-century English speakers encountered it as ototeman (meaning "his totem"), which became our word totem. In its most specific sense, totem refers to an emblematic depiction of an animal or plant that gives a family or clan its name and that often serves as a reminder of its ancestry. The term is also used broadly for any person or thing having particular emblematic or symbolic importance. The related adjective totemic describes something that serves as a totem, that depicts totems ("totemic basketry," for example), or that has the nature of a totem.
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Examples of totem in a Sentence
Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
An architectural totem of culture and community that bridges the divide between resident and neighbor in a way that the porch (or worse—terrace) simply cannot.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 28 Sep. 2024
In the week since Payne’s death, fans have turned the site of his passing into a makeshift shrine, laying candles, teddy bears, photos and other totems around the hotel entrance.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2024
In 1892, French soldiers looted a number of totems and treasures from the West African kingdom of Dahomey, considering these items the spoils of victory after winning the Second Franco-Dahomean War.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Totem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totem. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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totem
noun
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