Agency Dictionary

icon

nounPronunciation: /ˈaɪ.kɒn/

In Portuguese: ícone

What does “icon” mean?

A simplified image that represents a thing by resembling it. In semiotics, a sign that signifies through likeness; in digital interfaces, a small picture that stands for an object or a function.

Etymology

From Latin icon, from Greek eikon, "likeness, image, portrait". English first used the word for an image or likeness in general. The sense of a sacred panel painting of the Eastern Church is attested in English from the 19th century. The computing sense, a small pictogram on a screen, dates from the early 1980s and draws on the semiotic definition of a sign that works by resemblance.

Usage note

In semiotics, an icon is a sign that represents by resemblance, as distinct from an index (which points) and a symbol (which is conventional). In everyday use, iconic often just means famous or widely recognized.

Synonyms

symbol
emblem
image
pictogram
sign

Word family

iconic
iconography
iconoclast
iconoclasm

Usage examples

If we are to analyze the icon of a feather, or even a real feather in front of us (different forms for the same subject), we can extract many different meanings that are unique to every person or culture.
Design.0 - Beyond the Surface of Forms

Source editions

Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.

Design.0 - Beyond the Surface of FormsMay 10, 2023Read the edition

Words of the same theme

Buttonnoun: A physical or graphical control element that triggers an immediate action or command when pressed or clicked. In software interfaces, buttons communicate system affordances through visual boundaries and labels.
Superfluousadjective: Exceeding what is sufficient, necessary, or useful.
Typographynoun: The art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and visually appealing. It encompasses typeface selection, point size, line spacing, tracking, and spatial kerning.
Screennoun: A flat physical display surface on an electronic device that projects visual images, interfaces, and text to a viewer. It serves as the primary visual output medium for modern personal computers and mobile phones.
wireframenoun: A skeletal visual guide that outlines the basic structure, hierarchy, and functionality of a user interface.
Rendernoun: A finished two-dimensional image or video generated from a three-dimensional mathematical scene by computer software. It synthesizes geometric coordinates, lighting algorithms, textures, and shading into final pixels.
pain pointnoun: A specific problem, difficulty or frustration that a person experiences when using a product or a service, and that design or marketing sets out to solve.
briefingnoun: A concise set of instructions or background information provided to guide a project or creative assignment.
aestheticsnoun: A set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, artistic taste, and style.

Also from these editions: terms

Equationnoun: A complex statement or problem involving balancing multiple interdependent factors, variables, or meanings.
Mazenoun: A complex network of interconnected paths, passages, or obstacles designed to puzzle and challenge navigation.
Discursiveadjective: Proceeding by reasoned argument or sequential exposition rather than by immediate visual intuition.
vocationnoun: A strong innate inclination or sense of purpose toward a particular career, craft, or calling.
Synchronicitynoun: The simultaneous occurrence of events that appear meaningfully related yet lack a direct causal connection.
Decompositionnoun: The natural biological or chemical process of decay, breakdown, or disintegration into constituent elements.
recipientnoun: The person who receives something. In communication, the one to whom a message is addressed and who interprets it, as opposed to the sender who composes it.
Stigmanoun: A mark of social disgrace, shame, or prejudice associated with a particular circumstance, trait, or behavior.
symbolismnoun: The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, and the set of meanings that a form, an image or an object carries beyond its literal sense.
Desaturationnoun: The progressive loss or removal of chromatic intensity, rendering a color closer to a neutral gray.
Regenerativeadjective: Relating to or capable of renewing, restoring, or reforming biological vitality and structural equilibrium.
target audiencenoun: The specific group of people that a message, a product or a campaign is meant to reach, defined by what they have in common, such as needs, habits or interests.