token

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Something serving as an indication, proof, or expression of something else; a sign: "Tears are queer tokens of happiness” ( Eugene O'Neill). See Synonyms at sign.
2. n. Something that signifies or evidences authority, validity, or identity: The scepter is a token of regal status.
3. n. A distinguishing feature or characteristic.
4. n. One that represents a group, as an employee whose presence is used to deflect from the employer criticism or accusations of discrimination.
5. n. A keepsake or souvenir.
6. n. A piece of stamped metal used as a substitute for currency: subway tokens.
7. v. To betoken or symbolize; portend.
8. adj. Done as an indication or a pledge: a token payment.
9. adj. Perfunctory; minimal: a token gesture of reconciliation; token resistance.
10. adj. Merely symbolic: refused to be the token woman on the committee.
11. idiom. by the same token In like manner; similarly.
12. idiom. in token of As an indication of: a ring given in token of love.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Something intended or supposed to represent or indicate another thing or an event; a sign; a symbol; an evidence.
2. n. A characteristic mark or indication.
3. n. A memorial of friendship; something by which the friendship or affection of another person is to be kept in mind; a keepsake; a souvenir; a love-gift.
4. n. Something that serves as a pledge of authenticity, good faith, or the like; witness.
5. n. A signal.
6. n. A piece of metal having the general appearance of a coin and practically serving the same purpose. It differs from a coin in being worth much less than its nominal value, and in its being issued, as a rule, by private persons, without governmental sanction, as a guaranty that the issuer will on demand redeem the token for its full nominal value in the legal currency of the country. Tokens have generally been issued by tradesmen to provide a convenient small change when there was an absence or scarcity of the government coinage of the smaller denominations of money. Leaden tokens, now very scarce, were issued by tradesmen under Elizabeth and James I. In 1613 took place the (quasi-governmental) issue of Harrington tokens. (See Harrington.) During the Commonwealth and under Charles II. (1648–72) the tradesmen and tavern-keepers of nearly all English towns issued brass and copper tokens, generally inscribed with the name, address, and trade of the issuer, and with the nominal value of the piece, usually 1d., ½d., or ¼d. These specimens are known to collectors as the “seventeenth-century tokens.” The “eighteenth-” and “nineteenth-century tokens” were issued by English tradesmen and by other persons between 1787 and 1813. They are larger and of much better workmanship than the earlier tokens, and are generally struck in copper and bronze (2d., 1d., ½d., etc.), though some specimens were issued in silver(1s., 6d., etc.). In 1811 silver tokens for 5 shillings, 3 shillings, and 18 pence were issued by the Bank of England, and were known as the “Bank tokens.” See also cut under tavern-token.
7. n. In Presbyterian churches in Scotland, a voucher, usually of lead or tin, and often stamped with the name of the parish or church, given to duly qualified members previous to the celebration of the Lord's Supper, and returned by the communicant when he takes his place at the table. Cards have now very generally taken the place of these tokens.
8. n. A measure or quantity of press-work: in Great Britain and New York, 250 impressions on one form; in Boston, Massachusetts, 500 impressions on one form. The token is not divisible: 200 impressions or 20 impressions are rated as one token; 260 impressions or any excess of that number less than 750 are rated as two tokens.
9. n. In weaving. See the quotation.
10. n. Same as tally.
11. n. A thin bed of coal indicating the existence of a thicker seam at no great distance.
12. To set a mark upon; designate.
13. To betoken; toe a symbol of.
14. To betroth.

Wiktionary

1. n. Something serving as an expression of something else; sign, symbol
2. n. A keepsake, momento, souvenir
3. n. A piece of stamped metal used as a substitute for money; a voucher that can be exchanged for goods or services
4. n. obsolete Evidence, proof; a confirming detail; physical trace, mark, footprint; also fig.
5. n. Support for a belief; grounds for an opinion; reason, reasoning, witcraft (see usage)
6. n. An extraordinary event serving as evidence of supernatural power, a miracle
7. n. An object or disclosure to attest or authenticate the bearer or an instruction; a password
8. n. A seal guaranteeing the quality of an item.
9. n. Something given or shown as a symbol or guarantee of authority or right; a sign of authenticity, of power, good faith.
10. n. A tally
11. n. philosophy A particular thing to which a concept applies.
12. n. computing An atomic piece of data, such as a word, for which a meaning may be inferred during parsing. Also called a symbol.
13. n. grammar A lexeme; a basic, grammatically indivisible unit of a language such as a keyword, operator or identifier.
14. n. medicine A characteristic sign of a disease or of a bodily disorder, a symptom; a sign of a bodily condition, recovery, or health.
15. n. medicine (obsolete) A livid spot upon the body, indicating, or supposed to indicate, the approach of death.
16. n. printing Ten and a half quires, or, commonly, 250 sheets, of paper printed on both sides; also, in some cases, the same number of sheets printed on one side, or half the number printed on both sides.
17. n. mining A bit of leather having a peculiar mark designating a particular miner. Each hewer sends one of these with each corf or tub he has hewn.
18. n. mining A thin bed of coal indicating the existence of a thicker seam at no great distance.
19. n. weaving In a loom, a colored signal to show the weaver which shuttle to use.
20. adj. Done as an indication or a pledge; perfunctory, minimal or merely symbolic.
21. adj. a minor attempt for appearance sake, or to minimally comply with a requirement
22. v. To betoken, indicate, portend, designate, denote
23. v. To betroth
24. v. philosophy To symbolize, instantiate

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Something intended or supposed to represent or indicate another thing or an event; a sign; a symbol.
2. n. A memorial of friendship; something by which the friendship of another person is to be kept in mind; a memento; a souvenir.
3. n. Something given or shown as a symbol or guarantee of authority or right; a sign of authenticity, of power, good faith, etc.
4. n. A piece of metal intended for currency, and issued by a private party, usually bearing the name of the issuer, and redeemable in lawful money. Also, a coin issued by government, esp. when its use as lawful money is limited and its intrinsic value is much below its nominal value.
5. n. (Med.), obsolete A livid spot upon the body, indicating, or supposed to indicate, the approach of death.
6. n. (Print.) Ten and a half quires, or, commonly, 250 sheets, of paper printed on both sides; also, in some cases, the same number of sheets printed on one side, or half the number printed on both sides.
7. n. (Ch. of Scot.) A piece of metal given beforehand to each person in the congregation who is permitted to partake of the Lord's Supper.
8. n. (Mining) A bit of leather having a peculiar mark designating a particular miner. Each hewer sends one of these with each corf or tub he has hewn.
9. n. (Weaving) In a Jacquard loom, a colored signal to show the weaver which shuttle to use.
10. v. obsolete To betoken.

WordNet 3.0

1. adj. insignificantly small; a matter of form only (`tokenish' is informal)
2. n. something of sentimental value
3. n. an individual instance of a type of symbol
4. n. a metal or plastic disk that can be redeemed or used in designated slot machines
5. n. something serving as a sign of something else