totemic

/tou'temik/

Thân thiện

A totemic carving stands at the entrance to the village.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or characteristic of a totem: Describes something connected to a totem, which is a natural object, animal, or plant believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and to be emblematically related to a family, clan, or group.
   • Relating to totemism: Pertaining to the system of beliefs and social organization based on totems.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • The carved pole is a totemic symbol for the tribe.
  • Their totemic beliefs forbid harming the clan's sacred animal.
  • The relationship between the clan and its totemic animal is deeply spiritual.

Advanced Usage

• "totemic significance": having the importance or meaning of a totem.
  • The eagle holds totemic significance for many indigenous cultures.
• "totemic figure": a person or character who serves as a symbolic emblem for a group.
  • The founder became a totemic figure for the political movement.

Variants and Related Words

• Totem (n): The object, animal, or plant itself that serves as the emblem.
  • The bear is their clan's totem.
• Totemism (n): The system of beliefs and practices associated with totems.
  • Anthropologists have studied the tribe's totemism.

Synonyms

• Emblematic: Serving as a symbol of a particular quality or concept.
• Symbolic: Representing something else, especially an idea or concept.

Related Phrases

• Totem pole: A pole carved and painted with a series of totemic symbols.
  • They erected a new totem pole in the village center.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. relating to totemism
   • totemic object