Definition of: totem

(tō′təm) noun
1. Among many primitive peoples, especially the North American Indians, an animal, plant, or other natural object believed to be ancestrally related to a tribe, clan, or family group or to be its tutelar spirit.
2. The representation of such an animal, plant, or object taken as an emblem or symbol.
3. The name or symbol of a person, clan, or tribe. [<Algonquian. Cf. Ojibwa ototeman his relations.]
—to·tem·ic (tō·tem′ik) adjective