Hebrew’s word for symbol – סמל sounds a lot like the English. But which came first?
According to Wiktionary, “symbol” is based on the Greek σύμβολον (súmbolon). סמל, in contrast, first appears in the Bible as well as in other ancient Semitic languages. Which came first is unclear, though it could also be that the two words developed independently of each other and that their similar sound is coincidental.
In any case, here’s an example of סמל in Modern Hebrew:
ירושלים היא אחד הסמלים של העם היהודי מאז ומעולם.
Jerusalem has always been one of the symbols of the Jewish people.
Taking סמל as a three-letter root, Hebrew creates the פיעל verb לסמל – to symbolize. Likewise, symbolic is סמלי.
