The word סמל – remarkably close in sound to its English equivalent symbol – appears in Biblical Hebrew.
Here’s a modern usage of the word:
סמל מדינת ישראל הוא המנורה וענפי זית.
The symbol of Israel is the Menorah (Temple candelabra) and olive branches.
The word for symbolic is סמלי , which can also mean nominal or insignificant, for example:
We ask only for a nominal payment.
