EMBLEMING
Verb
embleming
present participle of emblem
Source: Wiktionary
EMBLEM
Em"blem, n. Etym: [F. emblème, L. emblema, -atis, that which is put
in or on, inlaid work, fr. Gr. In, and Parable.]
1. Inlay; inlaid or mosaic work; something ornamental inserted in a
surface. [Obs.] Milton.
2. A visible sign of an idea; an object, or the figure of an object,
symbolizing and suggesting another object, or an idea, by natural
aptness or by association; a figurative representation; a typical
designation; a symbol; as, a balance is an emblem of justice; a
scepter, the emblem of sovereignty or power; a circle, the emblem of
eternity. "His cicatrice, an emblem of war, here on his sinister
cheek." Shak.
3. A picture accompanied with a motto, a set of verse, or the like,
intended as a moral lesson or meditation.
Note: Writers and artists of the 17th century gave much attention and
study to the composition of such emblems, and many collections of
them were published.
Syn.
– Sign; symbol; type; device; signal; token.
– Sign, Emblem, Symbol, Type. Sign is the generic word
comprehending all significant representations. An emblem is a visible
object representing another by a natural suggestion of characteristic
qualities, or an habitual and recognized association; as, a circle,
having no apparent beginning or end, is an emblem of eternity; a
particular flag is the emblem of the country or ship which has
adopted it for a sign and with which it is habitually associated.
Between emblem and symbol the distinction is slight, and often one
may be substituted for the other without impropriety. See Symbol.
Thus, a circle is either an emblem or a symbol of eternity; a
scepter, either an emblem or a symbol of authority; a lamb, either an
emblem or a symbol of meekness. "An emblem is always of something
simple; a symbol may be of something complex, as of a transaction . .
. In consequence we do not speak of actions emblematic." C. J. Smith.
A type is a representative example, or model, exhibiting the
qualities common to all individuals of the class to which it belongs;
as, the Monitor is a type of a class of war vessels.
Em"blem, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Emblemed; p. pr. & vb. n. Embleming.]
Definition: To represent by an emblem; to symbolize. [R.]
Emblemed by the cozening fig tree. Feltham.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition