icon

[ ahy-kon ]

noun

1. Digital Technology. a picture or symbol that appears on a screen and is used to represent a file, account, application, etc.:

   Tap the icon to download the app.

   Click the flag icon at the top of the web page to toggle the language to English.

2. Eastern Church. a representation of some sacred personage or event, such as Christ or a saint or the Resurrection, painted usually on a wood surface and venerated for its subject.
3. a person or thing that epitomizes for many people a value, an era, a community, etc:

   Blue jeans remain an American cultural icon, despite the outsourcing of their manufacture to other countries.

4. a person or thing that is revered or idolized:

   Elvis Presley is a cultural icon of the 20th century.

5. Semiotics. a sign or representation that stands for its object by virtue of a resemblance or analogy to it.
6. any picture, image, or other representation.

icon

/ ˈaɪkɒn /

noun

1. Alsoikon a representation of Christ, the Virgin Mary, or a saint, esp one painted in oil on a wooden panel, depicted in a traditional Byzantine style and venerated in the Eastern Church
2. an image, picture, representation, etc
3. a person or thing regarded as a symbol of a belief, nation, community, or cultural movement
4. a person regarded as a sex symbol or as a symbol of the latest fashion trends
5. a pictorial representation of a facility available on a computer system, that enables the facility to be activated by means of a screen cursor rather than by a textual instruction

icon

/ ī′kŏn′ /

1. In a graphical user interface, a picture on the screen that represents a specific file, directory, window, or program. Clicking on an icon will start the associated program or open the associated file, directory, or window.

icon

1. An image used in worship in the Eastern Orthodox Church and among other Christians (see also Christian ) of similar traditions. Icons depict Jesus , Mary , and the saints , usually in a severe, symbolic, nonrealistic way.

Word History and Origins

Origin of icon¹

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin īcon, from Greek eikṓn “figure, image, likeness”

Word History and Origins

Origin of icon¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek eikōn image, from eikenai to be like

Synonym Study

See image.

Example Sentences

One Parisian icon standing shoulder to shoulder with another.

From BBC

She is the one and only Cher, an American icon who has long dazzled audiences around the world with her extraordinary singing, acting and comedic chops.

From Los Angeles Times

On Tuesday a court will hand out jail sentences for some of Hong Kong's biggest pro-democracy icons, including Joshua Wong and Benny Tai, in a controversial national security case.

From BBC

"The man was literally an icon within UK law enforcement," he said.

From BBC

A grandmother in rural Zambia has become an accidental style icon and internet sensation - after agreeing to play dress-up and swapping outfits with her fashionista granddaughter.

From BBC

Related Words

• apotheosis
• avatar
• embodiment
• epitome
• incarnation
• manifestation
• personification
• quintessence
• representation
• symbol