Also 6 simbole, 6–7 symbole, -boll, 7 simbol; also in L. form. [ad. late L. symbolum (partly through F. symbole, 16th c. = It., Sp. sim-, Pg. symbolo), a. Gr. σύμβολον mark, token, ticket, ‘tessera,’ f. σύν SYM- + root of βολή, βόλος a throw (cf. συμβάλλειν to put together, f. σύν SYM- + βάλλειν to throw).]
1. A formal authoritative statement or summary of the religious belief of the Christian church, or of a particular church or sect; a creed or confession of faith, spec. the Apostles’ Creed.
This use is traceable to Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (c. 250), who applies L. symbolum to the baptismal creed, this creed being the ‘mark’ or ‘sign’ of a Christian as distinguished from a heathen. The notion, long current, that the creed was so called because it was ‘put together’ by the Apostles is without foundation in fact.
1450–1530. Myrr. our Ladye, III. 312. Thys crede ys called Simbolum, that ys to say a gatherynge of morselles. for eche of the .xii. apostels put therto a morsel.
1490. Caxton, How to Die, 4. The credo and symbole of the fayth.
1536. Hen. VIII., in Burnet, Hist. Ref. (1679), I. Collect. Rec., 306. All … things … which be comprehended in the whole body and Canon of the Bible, and … in the three Creeds or Symbols.
1539. Hilsey, Man. Prayers, C iij b. The Symbole or Crede of the greate doctour Athanasius.
1585. T. Washington, trans. Nicholay’s Voy., IV. xiii. 126 b. He sayde … the Lordes Prayer, the salutation of the Aungell, and the Symbole of the Apostles.
1602. Parsons, Warn-word, I. xiv. 100 b. The Symbolum or Creed of the Apostles.
a. 1638. in Chillingw., Relig. Prot., I. iv. § 27. 205. The Symbole is a briefe yet entire Methodicall summe of Christian Doctrine.
1699. T. Baker, Refl. Learn., xiv. 175. Enquiring into the number of Symbols, he adds a fourth to the other three.
1887. Ch. Q. Rev., April, 20. The symbolum Quicunque vult, whether regarded as an actual Creed … or as a hymn on the Creed … has an intense value of its own.
1887. Caroline Hazard, Mem. J. L. Diman, vii. 150. I think he would have given his full assent to the Nicene Creed, the great symbol in which the divinity of Christ is asserted and defined.
1912. Ch. Q. Rev., July, 349. Salnar, in 1581, gathered the ten chief Symbols of the Reformed Churches in his Harmonia Confessionum Fidei.
† b. transf. A brief or sententious statement; a formula, motto, maxim; occas. a summary, synopsis. Obs.
1594. Nashe, Unfort. Trav., 50. The simbole thereto [sc. to the helmet] annexed was this, Ex lachrimis lachrimæ.
1644. Bulwer, Chirol., 94. The Cynique in his symbole advising men to adde benignity to their courtship.
1656. Blount, Glossogr. [from Cotgrave], Symbole … a short and intricate riddle or sentence.
1662. Owen, Disc. Liturgies, iii. 16. That they might have [in the Lord’s Prayer] a summary Symbole of all the most excellent things they were to ask of God.
1715. Johnson, Rambler, No. 117, ¶ 3. The celebrated symbol of Pythagoras, ἀνεμῶν πνεόντων τὴν ἡχὼ προσκύνει; ‘when the wind blows, worship its echo.’
2. Something that stands for, represents, or denotes something else (not by exact resemblance, but by vague suggestion, or by some accidental or conventional relation); esp. a material object representing or taken to represent something immaterial or abstract, as a being, idea, quality, or condition; a representative or typical figure, sign, or token; † occas. a type (of some quality). Const. of.
1590. Spenser, F. Q., II. ii. 10. That, as a sacred Symbole, it [sc. a blood-stain] may dwell In her sonnes flesh.
1604. Shaks., Oth., II. iii. 350. To renownce his Baptisme, All Seales, and Simbols of redeemed sin.
1612. Dekker, London Triumphing, Wks. 1873, III. 245. Euery one carrying … a Symbole, or Badge of that Learning which she professeth.
1615. G. Sandys, Trav., II. 139. They [sc. ostriches] are the simplest of fowles, and symbolls of folly.
1641. J. Jackson, True Evang. T., III. 170. They play and sport together. A thing so true a symbole of deerenesse.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., V. xxi. 265. Salt as incorruptible, was the Simbole of friendship.
1686. South, Serm., Isa. v. 20 (1727), II. 333. Words are the Signs and Symbols of Things: and, as in accounts, Cyphers and Figures pass for real Sums; so … Words and Names pass for Things themselves.
1688. R. Holme, Armoury, II. 127/1. In Arms … Oranges [are] the simbol of Dissimulation.
1765–8. Erskine, Inst. Law Scot., III. iii. § 5. Another symbol was anciently used in proof that a sale was perfected, which continues to this day in bargains of lesser importance among the lower rank of people, the parties licking and joining of thumbs.
1769. Robertson, Chas. V., III. x. 238. There was engraved on it a cap, the ancient symbol of freedom.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., xix. ‘I deliver to you, by this symbol,’ (here she gave into his hand the venerable gold-headed staff of the deceased Earl of Torwood)—‘the keeping and government and seneschalship of my Tower of Tillietudlem.’
1833. Tennyson, Miller’s Dau., 233. The kiss, The woven arms, seem but to be Weak symbols of the settled bliss, The comfort, I have found in thee.
1849. Ruskin, Seven Lamps, iv. § 2. 95. The fluting of the column, which I doubt not was the Greek symbol of the bark of the tree.
1862. H. Spencer, First Princ., I. iv. § 22. (1875), 68. Ultimate religious ideas and ultimate scientific ideas, alike turn out to be merely symbols of the actual, not cognitions of it.
1865. R. W. Dale, Jew. Temp., xvi. (1877), 180. The offering of incense is a natural symbol of adoration.
1909. Rider Haggard, Yellow God, 108. Like the symbols of the good and evil genii on a Mohammedan tomb.
b. An object representing something sacred; spec. (absol.) either of the elements in the eucharist, as representing the body and blood of Christ.
1671. Evelyn, Lett. to Father Patrick, 27 Sept. After the prayer … the symbols become changed into the body and blood of Christ, after a sacramental, spiritual, and real manner.
1704. Nelson, Fest. & Fasts, ix. II. (1739), 579. Bread and Wine … by Consecration being made Symbols of the Body and Blood of Christ.
1781. J. Morison, in Transl. & Paraphr. Sc. Ch., XXXV. ii. That symbol of his flesh he broke.
1845. Ford, Handbk. Spain, I. III. 364. The injuries began the very day after the conquest, when … the whitewashings and removals of Moslem symbols commenced.
1845. S. Austin, Ranke’s Hist. Ref., III. 385. Whether the body [of Christ] was really in the symbols.
1870. M. D. Conway, Earthw. Pilgr., ix. 119. We read of many … religions,… all of them surrounded with fables and symbols…. Of all the symbols, the most universal was the Cross.
1877. E. Peters, trans. Pfleiderer’s Paulinism, vi. I. 240. This mystical element [lies] at the very root of the ancient idea of worship; the symbol is here never mere symbol, but … medium of a real connection with the actual … object of worship.
1899. W. R. Inge, Chr. Mysticism, vii. 258. We should … train ourselves … to consider them [sc. the sacraments] as divinely-ordered symbols, by which the Church,… and we as members of it, realise the highest and deepest of our spiritual privileges.
c. Numism. A small device on a coin, additional to and usually independent of the main device or ‘type.’
1883. P. Gardner, Types Grk. Coins, ii. 53. The symbol … is a copy or replica of the signet of the magistrate who is responsible for the coin.
1886. B. V. Head, in L. Jewitt’s Eng. Coins & Tokens, 102. Small objects represented either in the field or the exergue as adjuncts to the main type are called symbols.
d. Symbols collectively; symbolism. rare.
1856. Emerson, Eng. Traits, Aristocr., Wks. (Bohn), II. 77. Proud … of the language and symbol of chivalry.
1875. E. White, Life in Christ, IV. xxv. (1878), 410. Other portions of [the Apocalypse], and those the least loaded with prophetic symbol.
3. A written character or mark used to represent something; a letter, figure, or sign conventionally standing for some object, process, etc.
e.g., the figures denoting the planets, signs of the zodiac, etc., in astronomy; the letters and other characters denoting elements, etc., in chemistry, quantities, operations, etc., in mathematics, the faces of a crystal in crystallography.
c. 1620. A. Hume, Brit. Tongue (1865), 7. The symbol … I cal the written letter, quhilk representes to the eie the sound that the mouth sould utter.
1700. Moxon, Math. Dict., Symboles, are Letters used for Numbers in Algebra.
1805–17. R. Jameson, Char. Min. (ed. 3), 184. The different letters which compose the symbol.
1827. Whately, Logic, i. 64 (ed. 2), 36. The advantage of substituting for the terms, in a regular syllogism, arbitrary unmeaning symbols, such as letters of the alphabet, is much the same as in mathematics.
1844. Fownes, Chem., 180. Table of symbols of the elementary bodies.
1849. Balfour, Man. Bot., § 713. It is usual in descriptive works to give a list of the authors, and the symbols for their names.
1882. Minchin, Unipl. Kinemat., 186. Suppose x = f(a, b, t), y = g(a, b, t), where f and g are symbols of functionality.
4. attrib. and Comb.
1818. Keats, Endym., III. 700. If he explores all forms and substances … to their symbol-essences.
1821. Shelley, Hellas, 1095. Not gold, not blood, their altar dowers, But votive tears and symbol flowers.
1866. Lytton, Lost Tales Miletus, Secret Way, 4. Egypt’s vast symbol gods.
1875. Knight, Dict. Mech., Symbol-printing (Telegraphy), a system of printing in dots and marks…, or other cipher, as distinct from printing in the usual Roman letter.
1895. Elworthy, Evil Eye, 249. The typical symbol-figures representing the four Evangelists.
