Wordwyrt

symbolic

/sɪmˈbɒlɪk/sim-BO-lik
/sɪmˈbɑlɪk/sim-BAH-lik

Meaningto do with things thrown together

Common meaning: standing for something else

Other meanings: serving as a sign

‘together’ + ‘to throw’ → symbolic

Journey through time

  1. Greekσυμβολικός‘from σύν + βάλλω, throw together’
  2. Englishsymbolic‘standing for something else’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Greek βάλλω; βολή ‘to throw; a throw’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry DEVIL, p. 164 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry DIABOLIC, DIABOLICAL, p. 164 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry SYMBOL, p. 619 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry PROBLEM, p. 468 · dictionary scan; Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry δια-βάλλω, p. 185 · dictionary scan; Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry διάβολος, p. 185 · dictionary scan; Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry σύμβολον, p. 759 · dictionary scan; Liddell & Scott, Intermediate Greek-English Lexicon (1889), entry βάλλω, p. 593 · dictionary scan

Roots

Related words

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