The word "icon" has several related but distinct meanings across religion, art, computing, and popular culture. In its oldest and most specific sense an icon is a religious image — a painted representation of a holy figure or scene used in devotion and liturgy. This primary meaning comes from the Greek term for image; for more on that tradition see etymology and usage and the general article on Icon. Icons, especially within Eastern Christianity, function both as sacred art and as objects of prayer; for the broader context of that tradition consult materials on Eastern Christian practice.

Iconography and symbolism

Closely related to religious icons is the study known as iconography: the analysis of images, their subjects, symbols, and historical development. Art historians use iconography to decode visual programs and cultural meanings across eras. The term is also applied more generally to symbolism — how images or motifs stand for ideas — and is discussed in fields that examine visual culture and signs; see art-historical resources and treatments of symbolic language.

Signs, pictograms and secular icons

In everyday usage an "icon" can mean a small, easily recognized picture that represents an object, place, organization, or concept — for example, the pictograms on wayfinding signs, controls, or ballots. These secular icons are designed for quick recognition and often rely on simple, stylized shapes; see an overview of pictograms and signage. By extension, the word "icon" is also used metaphorically for a person, object, or image that symbolizes a culture or movement — a cultural icon. For discussions of emblematic figures and symbols, see cultural icon topics.

Computing and digital use

In computing, an icon is a small graphical symbol that represents a program, file, application, user account, or command in a graphical user interface. Computer icons help users identify and operate software more intuitively; a primer on this subject is available at computer icon. Related usages include icon-based video games that rely on many pictographs and visual shorthand, and software tools that manage icon sets.

Titles and named uses

The short word "Icon" also appears as the title of many creative and technical works. Examples include:

  • Icon (magazine) — a British publication focused on architecture and design; see the magazine.
  • Icon — album titles by artists such as John Wetton and Geoff Downes, and by the band Paradise Lost.
  • Icon — a 1997 novel by Frederick Forsyth and a subsequent film adaptation.
  • Icon (comics) — a superhero title from Milestone Media.
  • ICON — an academic journal connected with the history of technology.
  • Icons — a television documentary series; and the TV episode titled "Icon" from the series Stargate SG-1.

Programming language and hardware

The name also belongs to a programming language called Icon, created for high-level string and list processing. In a different technological context, the Unisys ICON was a line of computers developed for educational use in the Ontario school system; historical and technical notes are discussed in materials such as regional computing histories.

Because the term spans sacred art, scholarly study, signage, interface design, and many titles in media and technology, reference pages and indexes typically list several senses to help readers find the intended topic. For introductions to particular senses follow the links above to specialized entries and resources.

Etymology • Eastern Christianity • Icon article • Iconography • Symbolism • Pictogram • Magazine • Cultural icon • Computer icon • Unisys ICON