totem polenoun [ C ]
uk/ˈtəʊ.təm ˌpəʊl/us/ˈtoʊ.t̬əm ˌpoʊl/a tall wooden pole with symbols cut or painted on it that is part of the tradition of the Native Americans of the west coast of Canada and the northern US
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Poles, rods, shafts and sticks
- bar
- billy club
- boathook
- bollard
- broomstick
- cane
- lightning conductor
- maypole
- pointer
- rod
- rung
- shaft
- shooting stick
- spoke
- stake
- telephone pole
- truncheon
- utility pole
- waddy
- wand
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Examples from literature
- We find them in prehistoric cave paintings and Native American totem poles, but we also commonly find them in today’s cartoons, comic books, literature, movies, and advertisements.