icon

English

/ˈaɪ.kən/, /ˈaɪ.kɑːn/

noun
Definitions
  • An image, symbol, picture, or other representation usually as an object of religious devotion.
  • (religion) A type of religious painting portraying a saint or scene from Scripture, often done on wooden panels.
  • (by extension) A person or thing that is the best example of a certain profession or some doing.
  • (graphical user interface) A small picture that represents something (such as an icon on a computer screen which when clicked performs some function.)
  • (linguistics) A word, character, or sign whose form reflects and is determined by the referent; onomatopoeic words are necessarily all icons.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īcōn derived from Ancient Greek εἰκών (image, portrait, likeness, icon, figure).

Origin

Ancient Greek

εἰκών

Gloss

image, portrait, likeness, icon, figure

Kanji

姿

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms