seal vs token

seal

noun
  • An impression of such stamp on wax, paper or other material used for sealing. 

  • A bearing representing a creature something like a walrus. 

  • Anything that secures or authenticates. 

  • A tight closure, secure against leakage. 

  • Something which will be visibly damaged if a covering or container is opened, and which may or may not bear an official design. 

  • A chakra. 

  • A design or insignia usually associated with an organization or an official role. 

  • Confirmation or approval, or an indication of this. 

  • A stamp used to impress a design on a soft substance such as wax. 

  • Something designed to prevent liquids or gases from leaking through a joint. 

  • A pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal. 

verb
  • To place a seal on (a document). 

  • To confirm or set apart as a second or additional wife. 

  • To guarantee. 

  • To fasten (something) so that it cannot be opened without visible damage. 

  • To close securely to prevent leakage. 

  • To place in a sealed container. 

  • To prevent people or vehicles from crossing (something). 

  • To tie up animals (especially cattle) in their stalls. 

  • To mark with a stamp, as an evidence of standard exactness, legal size, or merchantable quality. 

  • To form a sacred commitment. 

  • To hunt seals. 

  • To place a notation of one's next move in a sealed envelope to be opened after an adjournment. 

  • To fix, as a piece of iron in a wall, with cement or plaster, etc. 

  • To close by means of a seal. 

  • To fry (meat) at a high temperature to retain the juices. 

token

noun
  • A seal guaranteeing the quality of an item. 

  • An object or disclosure to attest or authenticate the bearer or an instruction. 

  • An atomic piece of data, such as a word, for which a meaning may be inferred during parsing. 

  • A lexeme; a basic, grammatically indivisible unit of a language such as a keyword, operator or identifier. 

  • A keepsake. 

  • A piece of stamped metal or plastic, etc., used as a substitute for money; a voucher that can be exchanged for goods or services. 

  • Support for a belief; grounds for an opinion. 

  • A minor attempt for appearance's sake, or to minimally comply with a requirement. 

  • A meaningless placeholder used as a substitute for sensitive data. 

  • A conceptual object that can be possessed by a computer, process, etc. in order to regulate a turn-taking system such as a token ring network. 

  • A physical object used for exchange between drivers and signalmen on single track lines. 

  • A particular thing to which a concept applies. 

  • A single example of a certain word in a text or corpus. 

  • An extraordinary event serving as evidence of supernatural power. 

  • Something serving as an expression of something else. 

  • A small physical object, often designed to give the appearance of a common thing, used to represent a person or character in a board game or other situation. 

  • A characteristic sign of a disease or of a bodily disorder, a symptom; a sign of a bodily condition, recovery, or health. 

  • Ten and a half quires, or, commonly, 250 sheets, of paper printed on both sides; also, in some cases, the same number of sheets printed on one side, or half the number printed on both sides. 

  • Something given or shown as a symbol or guarantee of authority or right; a sign of authenticity, of power, good faith. 

  • A member of a group of people that is included within a larger group to comply with a legal or social requirement. 

  • A tally. 

  • A bit of leather having a peculiar mark designating a particular miner. Each hewer sent one of these with each corf or tub he had hewn. 

  • A thin bed of coal indicating the existence of a thicker seam at no great distance. 

  • A piece of metal given beforehand to each person in the congregation who is permitted to partake of the Lord's Supper. 

  • In a loom, a colored signal to show the weaver which shuttle to use. 

verb
  • To betroth 

  • To symbolize, instantiate 

  • To betoken, indicate, portend, designate, denote 

adj
  • Done as an indication or a pledge. 

  • Perfunctory or merely symbolic; done or existing for appearance's sake, or to minimally comply with a requirement. 

  • He was hired as the company's token black person. 

  • Included in minimal numbers in order to create an impression or illusion of diversity, especially ethnic or gender diversity. 

How often have the words seal and token occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )