totemic

Variant of totem

totem definition

to·tem (tōt′əm)

noun

  1. among some peoples, an animal or natural object considered as being ancestrally related to a given kin or descent group and taken as its symbol
  2. an image of this
  3. a symbol, esp. one held in high regard

Etymology: < an Algonquian language: cf. Ojibwa nindoodeem, my totem

Related Forms:

  • totemic to·tem′ic (tō tem′ik) adjective

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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