totem

CEFRB2

/ˈtoʊtəm/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    An object or animal that represents a group or family.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A symbol or personification.

Examples

  • There are towns on Haida Gwaii with tall totem poles, some ancient.

  • Yuri was at the bottom of the totem pole.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5

Also pronounced

  • /ˈtəʊtəm/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The clan whose kinship is defined in reference to such an object or creature.

  2. Any natural object or living creature that serves as an emblem of a tribe, clan or family; the representation of such an object or creature.

  3. An arbitrarily chosen object serving as a reminder to check whether one is awake or not, to aid in having lucid dreams.

More examples

In context

  • What is your totem animal?

  • The totem members were forbidden to eat the flesh of the totem animal, or were allowed to do so only under specific conditions.

  • These meanings flow from bear-like characteristics imprinted on totem members. Members of the bear clan may have dispositional, cognitive, and physical capabilities similar to those of bear.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Each clan had a blank that represented their spirit guide from nature.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Borrowed from Ojibwe (o)doodem(an).