mid-15c., simbal, "creed, formal summary of religious belief," from Late Latin symbolum "creed, token, mark," from Greek symbolon "token, watchword, sign by which one infers; ticket, a permit, license," etymologically "that which is thrown or cast together." It is from assimilated form of syn- "together" (see syn-) + bole "a throwing, a casting, the stroke of a missile, bolt, beam," from bol-, nominative stem of ballein "to throw" (from PIE root *gwele- "to throw, reach").

The sense evolution in Greek is from "throwing things together" to "contrasting" to "comparing" to "token used in comparisons to determine if something is genuine." The Greek word was applied c. 250 by Cyprian of Carthage to the Apostles' Creed, on the notion of the "mark" or "outward sign" that distinguishes Christians from pagans.

Hence also "something which stands for something else," especially "object standing for or representing something sacred, moral, or intellectual" (1580s); "a written character, mark, or sign which stands for something" (1610s).

"of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a symbol or symbols; serving as a symbol," 1650s, from symbol + -ic, or from Latinized form of Greek symbolikos. From 1650s as "involving the use of written symbols." Of literature, art by 1910. Symbolic logic is attested from 1856. Related: Symbolical (c. 1600); symbolically.

1650s, "practice of representing things by symbols, the investing of things with symbolic character," from symbol + -ism. Applied to the arts by 1866; attested from 1892 as a movement in French literature, from French symbolisme (see symbolist).

c. 1600, "represent by a symbol or symbols," also "be a symbol of," from French symboliser, from symbole (see symbol). Related: Symbolized; symbolizes; symbolizing.

"act of symbolizing; symbolic signification," c. 1600, from French symbolisation, from symboliser (see symbolize).

1580s, "one who employs symbols," 1from symbol + -ist.

It is attested from 1888 in reference to a literary movement that aimed at representing ideas and emotions by indirect suggestion rather than direct expression, from French symboliste, coined in this sense in 1885 by poet Paul Verlaine (1844-1896). Rejecting realism and naturalism, they attached symbolic meaning to certain objects, words, etc. Related: Symbolistic; symbolistical.

"art of expressing by symbols," 1793, contracted from symbolology, from Greek symbolon "token" (see symbol) + -ology. Related: Symbologist; symbological.

"worship of symbols," 1828, from combining form of symbol + -latry "worship of." Contracted form symbolatry is by 1849, perhaps based on idolatry.

*gwelə-, also *gwel-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to throw, reach," with extended sense "to pierce."

It forms all or part of: anabolic; arbalest; astrobleme; ball (n.2) "dancing party;" ballad; ballet; ballista; ballistic; ballistics; belemnite; catabolism; devil; diabolical; discobolus; emblem; embolism; hyperbola; hyperbole; kill (v.); metabolism; palaver; parable; parabola; parley; parliament; parlor; parol; parole; problem; quell; quail (v.) "lose heart, shrink, cower;" symbol.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit apa-gurya "swinging," balbaliti "whirls, twirls;" Greek ballein "to throw, to throw so as to hit," also in a looser sense, "to put, place, lay," bole "a throw, beam, ray," belemnon "dart, javelin," belone "needle," ballizein "to dance;" Armenian kelem "I torture;" Old Church Slavonic zali "pain;" Lithuanian galas "end," gėla "agony," gelti "to sting."

"pictorial symbol, picture or symbol representing an idea," 1851, from picto-, combining form of Latin pictus "painted," past participle of pingere "to paint" (see paint (v.)) + -graph "something written." First used in reference to American Indian writing. Related: Pictography; pictographic.