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totem

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Totem and tótem

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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From Ojibwe (o)doodem(an).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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totem (plural totems)

  1. 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.
  2. The clan whose kinship is defined in reference to such an object or creature.
    • 1921, Wilhelm Max Wundt, Edward Leroy Schaub, Elements of folk psychology: outlines of a psychological history:
      The totem members were forbidden to eat the flesh of the totem animal, or were allowed to do so only under specific conditions.
    • 2014, Michael Pomedli, Living with Animals: Ojibwe Spirit Powers, page 165:
      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.
  3. (figuratively) A symbol or personification.
    • 2023 January 19, Damien Cave, quoting Richard Shaw, “How Covid’s Bitter Divisions Tarnished a Liberal Icon”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
      “She became a totem,” he added. “She became the personification of a particular response to the pandemic, which people in the far-flung margins of the internet and the not so far-flung margins used against her.”
  4. An arbitrarily chosen object serving as a reminder to check whether one is awake or not, to aid in having lucid dreams.
    • 2010, ren, “Inception and Lucid Dreaming”, in alt.religion.wicca (Usenet):
      The best way to determine if you are dreaming or not is to have a totem in your lucid dreams that does not exist in reality. Inducing yourself is as easy as waking up during the night and practicing as you fall back asleep. Say, "I will be aware I am dreaming while I am dreaming by seeing my totem."
  5. A tall object resembling a totem pole.
    • 2014 February 4, Tom Hayllar, A Long Way Walkin’ in Australia: From the Tasman to the Timor Sea[2], Bloomington, Indiana: Balboa Press, →ISBN, page 207:
      Out the front of the Drive-in rose the town’s main tourist attraction, a totem of signs to bizarre places with impossible distances such as Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and so on.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Anagrams

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Dutch

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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totem m (plural totems, diminutive totempje n)

  1. totem, object that signifies a kinship group
  2. totem, physical representation of a kinship symbol

Derived terms

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French

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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totem m (plural totems)

  1. totem

Derived terms

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Further reading

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German

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Pronunciation

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Adjective

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totem

  1. strong dative masculine/neuter singular of tot

Italian

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Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it
Un totem – A totem

Etymology

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Unadapted borrowing from English totem, from Ojibwe (o)doodem(an).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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totem m (invariable)

  1. totem

Derived terms

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References

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  1. ^ totem in Luciano Canepari, Dizionario di Pronuncia Italiana (DiPI)

Anagrams

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Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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Borrowed from English totem, from Ojibwe (o)doodem(an).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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totem m inan

  1. totem (natural object or living creature that serves as an emblem of a tribe)
  2. totem (representation of such a creature)

Declension

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Derived terms

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adjective
nouns
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adjective
noun

Further reading

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  • totem in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • totem in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English totem, from Ojibwe (o)doodem(an).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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totem m (plural totens)

  1. totem (object or creature that serves as an emblem of a tribe, clan or family)
  2. totem pole (Native American sculpture made by carving trees)

Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French totem.

Noun

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totem n (plural totemuri)

  1. totem

Declension

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singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative totem totemul totemuri totemurile
genitive-dative totem totemului totemuri totemurilor
vocative totemule totemurilor

Serbo-Croatian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Ojibwe (o)doodem(an).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /tǒteːm/
  • Hyphenation: to‧tem

Noun

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tòtēm m (Cyrillic spelling то̀те̄м)

  1. totem

Declension

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Swedish

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Noun

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totem n or c

  1. a totem ((natural) object or creature or the like that serves as an emblem)

Declension

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Derived terms

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References

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Turkish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French totem, from Ojibwe (o)doodem(an).

Noun

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totem (definite accusative totemi, plural totemler)

  1. (religion) totem

Declension

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Inflection
Nominative totem
Definite accusative totemi
Singular Plural
Nominative totem totemler
Definite accusative totemi totemleri
Dative toteme totemlere
Locative totemde totemlerde
Ablative totemden totemlerden
Genitive totemin totemlerin
Possessive forms
Nominative
Singular Plural
1st singular totemim totemlerim
2nd singular totemin totemlerin
3rd singular totemi totemleri
1st plural totemimiz totemlerimiz
2nd plural toteminiz totemleriniz
3rd plural totemleri totemleri
Definite accusative
Singular Plural
1st singular totemimi totemlerimi
2nd singular totemini totemlerini
3rd singular totemini totemlerini
1st plural totemimizi totemlerimizi
2nd plural toteminizi totemlerinizi
3rd plural totemlerini totemlerini
Dative
Singular Plural
1st singular totemime totemlerime
2nd singular totemine totemlerine
3rd singular totemine totemlerine
1st plural totemimize totemlerimize
2nd plural toteminize totemlerinize
3rd plural totemlerine totemlerine
Locative
Singular Plural
1st singular totemimde totemlerimde
2nd singular toteminde totemlerinde
3rd singular toteminde totemlerinde
1st plural totemimizde totemlerimizde
2nd plural toteminizde totemlerinizde
3rd plural totemlerinde totemlerinde
Ablative
Singular Plural
1st singular totemimden totemlerimden
2nd singular toteminden totemlerinden
3rd singular toteminden totemlerinden
1st plural totemimizden totemlerimizden
2nd plural toteminizden totemlerinizden
3rd plural totemlerinden totemlerinden
Genitive
Singular Plural
1st singular totemimin totemlerimin
2nd singular toteminin totemlerinin
3rd singular toteminin totemlerinin
1st plural totemimizin totemlerimizin
2nd plural toteminizin totemlerinizin
3rd plural totemlerinin totemlerinin

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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