totem

/ˈtəʊtəm/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈotəm] /ˈtəʊtəm/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈotəm] /ˈtō-təm How to pronounce totem (audio)/ (ame, mw)

totem — noun

  • totemsingular
  • totemsplural

1. A special animal, plant, image, or similar natural sign that a community uses to

1.名詞C1
釋義

A special animal, plant, image, or similar natural sign that a community uses to express shared identity or sacred belief.

例句

At the museum, Emi sketched the raven totem from the village hall.

pattern: [animal] totem

The wooden pole showed each family's totem at the winter ceremony.

同義詞
  • emblem

    more general and often official; a totem carries stronger cultural or sacred meaning

  • symbol

    broader everyday word; a totem is tied more closely to identity and tradition

  • crest

    usually a formal family or national design, not a sacred natural sign

文法句型

[animal/object] totem

totem of [group]

用法筆記

Usually refers to a traditional cultural or religious symbol shared by a family, clan, or community rather than by one person alone.

常見錯誤

❌My bicycle is my totem.
✅My bicycle is my lucky object.
💡A totem normally has group-based cultural or symbolic importance, not just private value.

2. A person or thing that comes to stand for a larger value, belief, or way of life

2.名詞C1
釋義

A person or thing that comes to stand for a larger value, belief, or way of life in people's minds.

例句

For many fans, the old stadium remains a totem of local pride.

totem of [value]

The black umbrella became a totem of the protest movement.

同義詞
  • symbol

    the broad everyday term; totem suggests stronger shared feeling or identity

  • emblem

    more official and design-based, often linked to a country or organization

  • icon

    often refers to a famous person or object representing a whole culture

文法句型

totem of [idea/value]

totem for [group/cause]

用法筆記

Common in cultural, political, and media writing. Unlike sense 1, this use does not describe a traditional sacred object; it highlights the symbolic weight people give to someone or something.

常見錯誤

❌The team chose a tiger as its totem for Saturday's game.
✅The team chose a tiger as its mascot for Saturday's game.
💡A mascot is a chosen team figure; a totem suggests deeper symbolic meaning.

3. A family, clan, or larger group whose members see themselves as connected throug

3.名詞C2
釋義

A family, clan, or larger group whose members see themselves as connected through the same totem.

例句

In the old records, each totem had its own marriage rules.

each totem + singular verb

Children learned which totem their mother's family belonged to.

同義詞
  • clan

    broader and more common; it does not itself imply a shared totem

  • kin group

    neutral anthropological term without the symbolic link carried by totem

  • lineage

    focuses on descent through a family line rather than a whole symbolic group

文法句型

belong to [a] totem

the same totem

用法筆記

Used mainly in anthropology or history. Here the word names the people linked by the symbol, not the symbol itself.

常見錯誤

❌We are the same totem because our surnames match.
✅They belonged to the same totem because their clans shared one ancestral symbol.
💡This sense is about traditional kinship, not simply having the same family name.