e‧mo‧ti‧con /ɪˈməʊtɪkɒn $ ɪˈmoʊtɪkɑːn/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1900-2000; Origin: emotion + icon]
a special sign that is used to show an emotion in email and on the Internet, often by making a picture. For example, the emoticon :-) looks like a smiling face and means that you have made a joke.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲