Emblem

How to spell emblem

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce emblem

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does emblem mean?

1. nounA design or object that represents and stands for a nation, group, idea, or quality.

Emblem in a sentence

• The rose is the national emblem of England.

• The club stitched its emblem onto every player's jersey.

Where does emblem come from?

Language of origin: Greek

This word traces back to the Greek emblema, which described inlaid or mosaic work, something set or thrown into a surface as decoration. That noun came from the verb emballein, made from en, meaning 'in', and ballein, meaning 'to throw' or 'to cast', so the literal idea was of an ornament inserted into something else. Latin took it over as emblema for a raised or inlaid ornament, and from there it passed into French and then English in the sixteenth century. By that time the meaning had shifted from a physical inlay to a symbolic image, a picture or badge standing for an idea, a nation, or an organisation. The same ballein root that means 'throw' also hides inside words like 'symbol' and 'problem', which is a useful reminder that the tricky middle of emblem is 'bl', not a doubled consonant.

How the word is built

• em- (in, from Greek en)
• -blem (from Greek ballein: to throw or cast in)