icon Definition

icon
ikon
noun

1. relig art.
Especially in the Orthodox Church: an image of Christ, the Virgin Mary or a saint, usually painted on wood or done as a mosaic.
Thesaurus: image, portrait.
2. A person or thing that is uncritically adored, revered or admired, or is regarded as a symbol of a particular culture or sphere, etc; an idol.

Thesaurus: idol, symbol.
3. computing.
A picture or symbol displayed on a computer screen, which represents a function, facility, file, etc, available to the user, and which may be selected using the cursor or a mouse rather than a typed command. Compare earcon.
4. A picture, image or representation.

Derivative: iconic
adj

Etymology: 16c: from Greek eikon image.