What is token?

Famous quotes containing the word token:

    It doesn’t make any difference how much money a father earns, his name is always Dad-Can-I.... Like all other children, my five have one great talent: they are gifted beggars. Not one of them ever ran into the room, looked up at me, and said, “I’m really happy that you’re my father, and as a tangible token of my appreciation, here’s a dollar.”
    Bill Cosby (20th century)

    A woman with cut hair is a filthy spectacle, and much like a monster ... it being natural and comely to women to nourish their hair, which even God and nature have given them for a covering, a token of subjection, and a natural badge to distinguish them from men.
    William Prynne (1600–1669)

    He made for the door, automatically resuming his glasses and leaving in front of her, on the floor, his right slipper in token of his speedy return. Then, his desire exposed and his eyes wicked behind their strong lenses, he attempted to push her toward the bed.
    Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)