'Totem' definitions:

Definition of 'totem'

(from WordNet)
noun
A clan or tribe identified by their kinship to a common totemic object
noun
Emblem consisting of an object such as an animal or plant; serves as the symbol of a family or clan (especially among American Indians)

Definition of 'Totem'

From: GCIDE
  • Totem \To"tem\, n. [Massachusetts Indian wutohtimoin that to which a person or place belongs.]
  • 1. 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; also, the object or animal itself, considered as an symbol of the family. [1913 Webster]
  • 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. [1913 Webster]
  • The totem, the clan deity, the beast or bird who in some supernatural way attends to the clan and watches over it. --Bagehot. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. Anything which serves as a venerated or mystic symbol or emblem. [PJC]

Synonyms of 'totem'

From: Moby Thesaurus

Words containing 'Totem'