About The Word Totem

Bay Area Crosswords

Learn about the word Totem to help solve your crossword puzzle. Discover Totem definitions and meaning, origins, synonyms, related terms and more at the free Crossword Dictionary.

Totem

Totem Meaning & Definition
Totem Definition And Meaning

What's The Definition Of Totem?

[n] emblem consisting of an object such as an animal or plant; serves as the symbol of a family or clan (especially among American Indians)
[n] a clan identified by their kinship to a common totemic object

Synonyms | Synonyms for Totem:

Related Terms | Find terms related to Totem:

See Also | clan | emblem | kin | kin group | kindred | kinship group | tribe

Totem In Webster's Dictionary

\To"tem\, n. [Massachusetts Indian wutohtimoin that to which a person or place belongs.] A rude picture, as of a bird, beast, or the like, used by the North American Indians as a symbolic designation, as of a family or a clan. And they painted on the grave posts Of the graves, yet unforgotten, Each his own ancestral totem Each the symbol of his household; Figures of the bear and reindeer, Of the turtle, crane, and beaver. --Longfellow. The totem,the clan deity, the beast or bird who in some supernatural way attends to the clan and watches over it. --Bagehot.

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