'Symbol' is Greek for 'thrown together' — originally a broken shard whose halves proved a connection.
A mark, character, or object used to represent something abstract; a thing that represents or stands for something else.
From Latin 'symbolum' (sign, token, mark), from Greek 'sýmbolon' (σύμβολον, token, sign, mark of identity), from 'symbállein' (to throw together, to compare), from 'syn-' (together) + 'bállein' (to throw). In ancient Greece, a 'sýmbolon' was a physical token of identity or agreement: a pottery shard broken in half, with each party keeping one piece. When the pieces were 'thrown together' and fitted, they proved the parties' connection. From this concrete practice, 'symbol' came to mean
'Symbol,' 'problem,' 'parable,' 'hyperbole,' 'diabolical,' and 'ballistic' all come from Greek 'bállein' (to throw). A symbol is 'thrown together.' A problem is 'thrown forward' (an obstacle). A parable is 'thrown beside' (a comparison). Hyperbole is 'thrown beyond' (exaggeration). Diabolical is 'thrown across' (slanderous). Ballistic is simply 'thrown.'