totem
pronunciation
How to pronounce totem in British English:
UK [ˈtəʊtəm]
How to pronounce totem in American English:
US [ˈtoʊtəm]
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- Noun:
- a clan identified by their kinship to a common totemic object
- emblem consisting of an object such as an animal or plant; serves as the symbol of a family or clan (especially among American Indians)
Word Origin
- totem
- totem: [18] Totem is of native American origin, and denotes etymologically ‘belonging to a family or group’. Its ultimate source is the stem *ōtē- ‘belong to a local group’, and it was adapted from an Ojibwa derivative formed with a possessive prefix ending in t, such as otōtēman ‘his group or family’, hence ‘his family mark’.
- totem (n.)
- animal or natural object considered as the emblem of a family or clan, 1760, from Algonquian (probably Ojibwa) -doodem, in odoodeman "his sibling kin, his group or family," hence, "his family mark;" also attested in French c. 1600 in form aoutem among the Micmacs or other Indians of Nova Scotia. Totem pole is 1808, in reference to west coast Canadian Indians.
Example
- 1. Apple products now serve as the ultimate totem of upward mobility in a country with a fast-growing middle class ...
- 2. That way , when you look at your totem ......
- 3. His pricey restaurants cater to the thickening wedge of wealthy muscovites , among whom his name is a totem of quality .
- 4. Last year , a bestseller called " wolf totem , " written by a dissident , was debated among intellectuals and business leaders .
- 5. A totem , it 's a small personal .