totem ˈtō-təm noun
1. emblem consisting of an object such as an animal or plant; serves as the symbol of a family or clan (especially among American Indians)
2. something that stands as an emblem or an honored symbol
3. a clan or family identified by their kinship to a common totemic object
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The word totem has appeared in 54 articles on NYTimes.com in the past year, including on Jan. 26 in “Japan’s Skateboarders Roll, Warily, Out of the Shadows” by John Branch:
Over the decades, like so many other anti-authority movements, skateboarding leaked into the mainstream. Skateboards — a mode of transportation, an instrument of art, a totem of defiance — now glide across American sidewalks, plazas and streets. These days, skateboarding style, fashion and culture have morphed into beacons for masses looking for calculated rebelliousness.
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