mascot

noun

mas·​cot ˈma-ˌskät How to pronounce mascot (audio)
also -skət
Synonyms of mascotnext
: a person, animal, or object adopted by a group as a symbolic figure especially to bring them good luck
the team had a mountain lion as their mascot

Synonyms of mascot

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Examples of mascot in a Sentence

The team had a mountain lion as their mascot. she wears a mascot made of ebony and silver on a chain around her neck
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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the chaos that followed, calls to replace the mascot and song resulted in a school walk-out of a couple hundred white students. — Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026 Then the Mets can adopt the only mascot who actually cares about on-field performance, Grimace of McDonald's fame. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 June 2026 The flamingo — one of several endangered bird species whose natural habitat could be destroyed by development on such a massive scale — has quickly become the protest’s unofficial mascot. — Larry Luxner, Sun Sentinel, 29 June 2026 The Yashica Boy version features the brand’s sailor mascot, inspired by classic Japanese illustration and seaside adventure. — New Atlas, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for mascot

Word History

Etymology

French mascotte, from Occitan mascoto, from masco witch, from Medieval Latin masca

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mascot was in 1881

Rhymes for mascot

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Browse Nearby Words

mascon
mascot
Mascouche
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Cite this Entry

“Mascot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mascot. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

mascot

noun
mas·​cot ˈmas-ˌkät How to pronounce mascot (audio)
also -kət
: a person, animal, or object supposed to bring good luck
Etymology

from French mascotte "mascot," from a Romance word mascoto "charm," literally "little witch," from masco "witch," from Latin masca "witch"

Word Origin
The word mascot is an example of words that come to have a more pleasant meaning as they develop through the years and through many languages. The ancestor of mascot is the Latin word masca, used in the Middle Ages to mean "witch." Masca passed into the Romance speech of southern France as masco. Later it developed a derivative mascoto, literally meaning "little witch" but actually used to mean "charm" or "magic spell." A magic spell can be used for good as well as bad. Already, then, we have the beginnings of a change to a nicer idea in the basic use of the word. The word mascoto came to be mascotte in modern French, meaning a "good luck charm." It was made popular by the operetta La Mascotte in 1880. In this operetta "la mascotte" is the lovely young woman Bettina, whose influence brings victories to the army of the prince of Pisa. English later borrowed the word as mascot, with the meaning "a person or thing thought to bring good luck." Today the word is often used to refer to an animal chosen by a school or college as a good luck symbol for its sports teams.

More from Merriam-Webster on mascot

Nglish: Translation of mascot for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mascot

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