symbol

symbol /sym·bol/ (sim´bol)

1. something, particularly an object, that represents something else.

2. in psychoanalytic theory, a representation or perception that replaces unconscious mental content.

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phallic symbol  in psychoanalytic theory, any pointed or upright object which may represent the phallus or penis.

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sym·bol (smbl)

n.

1. Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.

2. A printed or written sign used to represent an operation, an element, a quantity, or a relation, as in mathematics or chemistry.

3. A conventional sign.