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Glite Dictionary
in token of

in token of

6.8
As a sign of thanks or respect
  • idiom
  • Formal
translation icon : en señal de
  • It had been rehearsed a short time earlier in a now lost drawing of Lucretia, who rested a foot on the foundation of her tomb in token of her honorable death.

Examples

  • He built an altar in token of his thankfulness to God.

  • Each time he handed back the mug, he pressed her hand in token of gratitude.

  • One of them ought to take an oath in token of the rest.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Herman Melville famously inscribed Moby Dick to Nathaniel Hawthorne "in token of his admiration for his genius."

    Academic text (2008)

  • The crowd waved their hands in token of good wishes as the car drove away.

Antonyms

to disregard
119 3.9

Ignore something or someone on purpose

neglect
100 3.5

Not caring for someone or something that needs care

How Symbolic

to symbol
7.5
in token of
  • Formal
6.8
gesture
245 3.2

Surface Forms

in token of main

Morphology

in + token + of

The meaning 'as a symbol or sign of' is directly derivable from the constituent 'token' (a thing that stands for something) combined with the prepositional pattern 'in ... of' (as/inside relation indicating purpose or representation). Although slightly formal/old-fashioned, the construction is compositional and parallels (e.g. 'en señal de', 'en signe de') exist in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the words would likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

In token of comes from the old practice of giving a small token, like a coin or badge, to show thanks or remember an event. So when people say in token of now, they mean 'as a sign of' something.