mascot

American  

[mas-kot, -kuht] / ˈmæs kɒt, -kət /

noun

1. an animal, person, or thing adopted by a group as its representative symbol and supposed to bring good luck.

   The U.S. Navy mascot is a goat.

---

mascot British  

/ ˈmæskət /

noun

1. a person, animal, or thing considered to bring good luck

---

Etymology

Origin of mascot

1880–85; < French mascotte < Provençal mascoto talisman, charm, derivative of masco sorceress. See mask

Example Sentences

This growth is driven by new talent development, while the company has expanded into character-based mascots, gaining strong traction.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Mascots were there to grab the crowd's attention, but often the mascot would be creeping up behind me as I was sat photographing the game," she says.

From BBC

They sported hats embroidered with the product’s crab mascot and stopped Cherny on the street for selfies or autographs.

From The Wall Street Journal

“But Mom says I can still like the Philadelphia mascots.”

From Literature

This past March, we held a celebration of life for Peanut, Meredith’s ancient mutt who’d been our Sunday mascot.

From Los Angeles Times