From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtotemto‧tem /ˈtəʊtəm $ ˈtoʊ-/ noun [countable] SARFan animal, plant etc that is thought to have a special spiritual connection with a particular tribe, especially in North America, or a figure made to look like the animal etc —totemic /təʊˈtemɪk $ toʊ-/ adjective
Examples from the Corpus
totem• Tribesmen select totem creatures as a bridge between the separate worlds of spirit and dreams.• He looked at the stains on his hands, then at the murder beside the totem.• When this dominant fish dies or is removed, his place is taken by the next man on the totem pole.• The hooded serpent was their totem.• There is only one thing I can tell you of these totems.• She touched this totem carefully, gaining confidence as it quivered and tautened.• And we were travelling again, through ravine, under totem.• And your totems have the same names as my masks, but I made those names up!Origin totem (1700-1800) Ojibwa ototeman “his totem” 