em·blem [em-bluhm]

1. an object or its representation, symbolizing a quality, state, class of persons, etc.; example: The olivebranch is an emblem of peace.

2. a sign, design, or figure that identifies or represents something.

3.  a pattern that is used to represent an idea or an individual. An emblem crystallizes in concrete, visual terms some abstraction: a tribe or nation, a virtue or vice.