See Also: symbolism(medicine)
symbolism(dictionary)
Symbolism(encyclopedia)
symbolism(dictionary)

symbolism (iou)



symbolism noun. L16.
[from SYMBOL noun1 + -ISM, partly after French symbolisme.]
a. The use of symbols to represent concepts or qualities; the practice of assigning a symbolic character to objects or acts. Also, symbols collectively or in general. L16.
A. Koestler The geometrical symbolism of the Zodiac.
b. A symbolic meaning attributed to natural objects or facts. M19.
Interview I love the idea, the symbolism, of the froglong life and fertility.
c. The use of symbols in literature or art; spec. (a) a school or style of painting, originating in France in the late 19th century, in which the non-naturalistic use of colour and form was employed to represent or evoke ideas or emotional states; (b) an analogous movement or style in poetry, in which indirect suggestion rather than direct expression was employed to represent or evoke ideas or emotions. M19.
Correspondence in nature or quality. Cf. SYMBOLIZATION 1a. rare. E-M18.
The use, or a system, of written symbols or characters. rare. M19.
= SYMBOLIC noun 2. rare. M19.