totem
noun/ˈtəʊtəm/
/ˈtəʊtəm/
- an animal or other natural object that is chosen and respected in a particular culture as a special symbol; an image of this animal, etc.
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- a person or thing that is thought of as a symbol of a particular quality or idea
- The Hampden Park football stadium is a totem of Scottish identity.
Word Originmid 18th cent.: from Ojibwa (an Algonquian language) nindoodem ‘my totem’.
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totem