[ˈtəʊk(ə)n], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a thing serving as a visible or tangible representation of a fact, quality, feeling, etc.
(e.g: I wanted to offer you a small token of my appreciation)

- a voucher that can be exchanged for goods or services, typically one given as a gift or forming part of a promotional offer
(e.g: a record token)

- an individual occurrence of a linguistic unit in speech or writing

- a sequence of bits passed continuously between nodes in a fixed order and enabling a node to transmit information

- a member of a minority group included in an otherwise homogeneous set of people in order to give the appearance of diversity
(e.g: the next black actor or actress selected won't know if it's because of their ability and performance or if they're just a token)


Phrases:
- by the same token
- in token of

Origin:
Old English tāc(e)n, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch teken and German Zeichen, also to teach

[ˈtəʊk(ə)n], (Adjective)

Definitions:
- done for the sake of appearances or as a symbolic gesture
(e.g: cases like these often bring just token fines from magistrates)


Phrases:
- by the same token
- in token of

Origin:
Old English tāc(e)n, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch teken and German Zeichen, also to teach