Symbol. In a large sense, anything that is presented to the mind as standing for something other than itself. In this sense, all thought is symbolic. Words are symbols as well as are the symbols of logic, algebra, chemistry, theology, and other fields. The symbols and signs of logic and mathematics are generally speaking arbitrary; there is no reason, for instance, other than convention, why the + should not be used for and - for +, or why the ~ that logicians use for negation should not be replaced by, say #. Some symbols used in religion do no more than remind us of something--such as the crescent and the cross (for Islam and Christianity respectively)--while others, such as light, might possibly lead us directly to some understanding of that which they symbolize. See also Sign.

Geddes MacGregor, Dictionary of Religion and Philosophy, New York: Paragon House, 1989

symbol : (nt.) ciṇha; visesalakkhaṇa.

A.P. Buddhadatta Mahathera, Concise Pali-English and English-Pali Dictionary [available as digital version from Metta Net, Sri Lanka]