totem pole en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (Southern-England) audio
Meanings
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(qualifier:sculpture) A Native American sculpture found in the Pacific Northwest, made by carving trees, and usually displaying symbolic figures that represent clan lineage, cultural beliefs, or historical events.
Many visitors to France will go back to the States after a three months' fling of night spots and sight-seeing without remarking that can-can girls and champagne play about the same part in French life today as the tom-tom and totem pole in American life.
1949 June 26, Ann Hightower, “If Paris Is Can-Can, New York Is Tom-Tom”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, page 167:
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(figuratively) A hierarchy or ranking of importance.
The teacher's pet was fairly high on the class totem pole.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| totem poles | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
high on the totem pole · low on the totem pole
Hyponyms
welcome pole · family pole · shame pole · memorial pole · mortuary pole · ridicule pole
Translations (16)
ro stâlp totemic (sculpture) · de Totempfahl (sculpture) · da totempæl (sculpture) · nn totempåle (sculpture) · es poste totémico (sculpture) · nb totempåle (sculpture) · fi toteemipaalu (sculpture) · ar عَمُود رَمْز (sculpture) · hu totemoszlop (sculpture) · nl totempaal (sculpture) · ru тоте́мный столб (sculpture) · eo totema paliso (sculpture) · es tótem (sculpture) · tli kootéeyaa (sculpture) · pt totem (sculpture) · fr mât totémique (sculpture)