Definition

1. Noun:
   • A natural object or animal believed to have spiritual significance and adopted as an emblem by a family, clan, or group: A totem serves as a symbol of the unity and identity of a social group, often among Indigenous peoples, especially in North America.
   • The animal, plant, or natural object serving as this emblem: The totem itself, which is treated with respect and may be associated with taboos or rituals.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The bear is the sacred totem of our clan. (The bear is the emblematic symbol representing our clan.)
  • They carved the tribe's totem on a tall pole. (They carved the tribe's symbolic emblem on a tall pole.)

Advanced Usage

• "totem pole": A pole carved and painted with a series of totemic symbols, erected by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest.
  • The museum has a magnificent collection of historical totem poles.
• In a modern, figurative sense: Used to describe a symbol representing a group, idea, or hierarchy.
  • In the corporate world, the corner office has become a totem of success. (Here, 'totem' is used metaphorically to mean a powerful symbol.)

Variants and Related Words

• Totemic (adj): Relating to or serving as a totem.
  • The tribe's totemic rituals are performed annually.
• Totemism (n): The system of beliefs and practices associated with totems.
  • Anthropologists have studied the structure of totemism in various cultures.

Synonyms

• Emblem: A heraldic device or symbolic object.
• Symbol: Something that represents something else.
• Fetish (in anthropological contexts): An object believed to have supernatural power.

Related Phrases

• "low man on the totem pole": An idiom meaning the person with the least status or seniority in a group or organization.
  • As a new intern, he was low man on the totem pole.

Noun

1. emblem consisting of an object such as an animal or plant; serves as the symbol of a family or clan (especially among American Indians)
2. a clan or tribe identified by their kinship to a common totemic object