symbology
Study of symbols
Symbology is the study or use of symbols, or a system of symbols itself.
The term appears in academic contexts—the symbology of religious icons, the symbology of dreams—but also in technical fields: barcode symbology refers to the encoding patterns used in different barcode formats.
The book explores the symbology of medieval heraldry.
Representational sign or device
- glyphVisual form of character
- sigilMagical or heraldic symbol
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- logoCompany identifying symbol
pictogram · ideogram · monogram · badge · seal · crest · insignia · totem
Meaning-bearing form
- signifiedExpressed meaning symbolically
- denotationWord's explicit dictionary meaning
- connotationImplied sense, not dictionary
- paradigmGoverning framework of thought
code · encoding · decoding · arbitrariness · structuralism · poststructuralism · metonymy · metaphor
Study of interpretation methods
- exegesisCritical textual interpretation
- decodeConvert from cipher
- decipherConvert code to plaintext
- analysisMethodical study of parts
meaning · inference · signification · explication · elucidate · contextualize · annotate · gloss
Spiritual clan symbols
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- ceremonialRelating to formal rites
- ancestralOf one's forebears
fetish · talisman · amulet · dreamcatcher · scarab
Pass from side to side
- crescentCurved sickle-like arc
- mandalaCircular spiritual diagram
- ankhLooped Egyptian vitality symbol
- omHindu meditative chant
yin-yang · lotus · menorah · hamsa · swastika · triskelion · ouroboros · mudra
emblem
Representational sign or device
logo · pictogram · ideogram · monogram · badge · seal · crest · insignia · totem · banner
signifier
Meaning-bearing form
- signifiedExpressed meaning symbolically
- denotationWord's explicit dictionary meaning
- connotationImplied sense, not dictionary
paradigm · code · encoding · decoding · arbitrariness · structuralism · poststructuralism · metonymy · metaphor · langue
hermeneutics
Study of interpretation methods
analysis · meaning · inference · signification · explication · elucidate · contextualize · annotate · gloss · translate
totems
Spiritual clan symbols
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- ceremonialRelating to formal rites
ancestral · fetish · talisman · amulet · dreamcatcher · scarab
cross
Pass from side to side
om · yin-yang · lotus · menorah · hamsa · swastika · triskelion · ouroboros · mudra
escutcheon
Shield bearing heraldry
charge · field · tincture · quartering · supporters · motto · armorial · rampant · chevron · saltire
- map featurescompass, compass rose, legend, scale, scale bar
- barcodesbarcode, barcode scanner, barcode reader, UPC, QR code
- map elementscompass rose, scale bar, legend, map scale, labels
- QR codesscanner, code, reader, scan, decode
- GeospatialGIS, cartography, geocoding, geolocation, geographic coordinates
- GISGIS, layer, geospatial, mapping, coordinate
symbologyliteralism
Exact meaning only
literal meaning · denotation · literal reading · literal interpretation · plain language
symbologyconcreteness
Quality of being solid
materiality · physicality · actuality · tangibility · literalness
symbol, symbolic, symbols, symbolize, symbolism, symbolized, symbolizes, symbolizing, symbolically