icon

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A small picture on a screen that you click to open a program or file.

   Click the loudspeaker icon to change the volume.

2. 2
   noun

   A famous person or thing widely admired as the best example of something.

   She became a fashion icon known all over the world.

3. 3
   noun

   A religious painting of a saint or holy scene, often on a wooden panel.

   The church wall was covered with golden icons of the saints.

From Latin īcōn, from Ancient Greek εἰκών (eikṓn, “likeness, image, portrait”). Eastern Orthodox Church sense is attested from 1833. Computing sense first recorded in 1982.

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