totem
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
totem /ˈtəʊtəm/
▶noun a natural object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and adopted by it as an emblem.
– derivatives
totemic /-ˈtɛmɪk/ adjective,
totemism noun,
totemist noun,
totemistic adjective.
totemic /-ˈtɛmɪk/ adjective,
totemism noun,
totemist noun,
totemistic adjective.
– origin C18: from Ojibwa nindoodem ‘my totem’.
'totem' also found in these Oxford entries:
