Totem — Lexography

Location not yet researched. No defensible word-specific location was established in the inspected lexical passage; no origin site is inferred.

Journey of meaning

2 forms

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The totem journey, in text

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-doodem · Algonquian, probably Ojibwa
noun · Algonquian, probably Ojibwa
Reading: Reading not yet researched
the clan or family emblem. Historical source-stage form associated with totem; the journey preserves the source's qualifications.
Date not yet researched — The inspected passage does not establish a word-specific date for this source stage.
Location not yet researched — No defensible word-specific location was established in the inspected lexical passage; no origin site is inferred.
-doodem is the inspected source form associated with the historical source stage for English totem. totem(n.) opening entry
Totem is recorded from 1760 from an Algonquian source, probably Ojibwa -doodem in odoodeman, meaning his sibling kin or his group or family; a Micmac or other Nova Scotian form is also recorded in French. totem(n.) opening entry
totem · English
noun · English
Reading: Reading not yet researched
the clan or family emblem. The English form and selected sense are represented from the inspected lexical account; unsupported pronunciation and location are left unresolved.
c. c. 1760–1769 · English totem — A source-reported written-use period; not necessarily the date of coinage, oral transmission, or every later sense.
Location not yet researched — No defensible word-specific location was established in the inspected lexical passage; no origin site is inferred.
Totem is recorded from 1760 from an Algonquian source, probably Ojibwa -doodem in odoodeman, meaning his sibling kin or his group or family; a Micmac or other Nova Scotian form is also recorded in French. totem(n.) opening entry
The inspected source supports the selected totem sense: the clan or family emblem. totem(n.) opening entry

Relationships

-doodem → totem: borrowing, qualified. The Algonquian source tradition is bounded, but the probable Ojibwa attribution and the relation to the Nova Scotian form remain qualified; the later anthropological extension is kept separate from the source sense. totem(n.) opening entry

Inspect the evidence 3 claims

Open a claim to follow the source and our interpretation.

01-doodem is the inspected source form associated with the historical source stage for English totem.
Source
Online Etymology Dictionary — totemOnline Etymology Dictionarytotem(n.) opening entry
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Totem is recorded from 1760 from an Algonquian source, probably Ojibwa -doodem in odoodeman, meaning his sibling kin or his group or family; a Micmac or other Nova Scotian form is also recorded in French.
totem(n.) opening entry
Qualification Qualified
The Algonquian source tradition is bounded, but the probable Ojibwa attribution and the relation to the Nova Scotian form remain qualified; the later anthropological extension is kept separate from the source sense.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected account at its stated level and does not infer an unsupported origin, date, reading, or location.
Checked 2026-09-19. Original factual paraphrase from an inspected source passage; no full article redistributed.
02Totem is recorded from 1760 from an Algonquian source, probably Ojibwa -doodem in odoodeman, meaning his sibling kin or his group or family; a Micmac or other Nova Scotian form is also recorded in French.
Source
Online Etymology Dictionary — totemOnline Etymology Dictionarytotem(n.) opening entry
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Totem is recorded from 1760 from an Algonquian source, probably Ojibwa -doodem in odoodeman, meaning his sibling kin or his group or family; a Micmac or other Nova Scotian form is also recorded in French.
totem(n.) opening entry
Qualification Qualified
The Algonquian source tradition is bounded, but the probable Ojibwa attribution and the relation to the Nova Scotian form remain qualified; the later anthropological extension is kept separate from the source sense.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected account at its stated level and does not infer an unsupported origin, date, reading, or location.
Checked 2026-09-19. Original factual paraphrase from an inspected source passage; no full article redistributed.
03The inspected source supports the selected totem sense: the clan or family emblem.
Source
Online Etymology Dictionary — totemOnline Etymology Dictionarytotem(n.) opening entry
Source passage
Source summary · not a quotation
Totem is recorded from 1760 from an Algonquian source, probably Ojibwa -doodem in odoodeman, meaning his sibling kin or his group or family; a Micmac or other Nova Scotian form is also recorded in French.
totem(n.) opening entry
Qualification Qualified
The Algonquian source tradition is bounded, but the probable Ojibwa attribution and the relation to the Nova Scotian form remain qualified; the later anthropological extension is kept separate from the source sense.
What Lexography infers
Lexography retains the inspected account at its stated level and does not infer an unsupported origin, date, reading, or location.
Checked 2026-09-19. Original factual paraphrase from an inspected source passage; no full article redistributed.