Link Centre Dictionary

symbolism

sym·bo·lism

UK/ˈsɪmbəˌlɪzəm/ US/ˈsɪmbʌˌlɪzʌm/ uncommon obsolete

noun

1.

a system of symbols and symbolic representations

2.
3.

an artistic movement in the late 19th century that tried to express abstract or mystical ideas through the symbolic use of images

Origin

From symbol + -ism, sense 2 being a semantic loan from French symbolisme.

Phrases

  • phonetic symbolism
  • sound symbolism

Related words

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.