Sign or Symbol?

Signs (def) are something that points to another reality and means what it signifies; the meaning is mostly fixed. For example, most people would interpret and understand a 'STOP' sign to mean only one thing = STOP.

Symbols (def) are multi-dimensional signs that point to another reality and manifest the reality to which they point. They are open to interpretation and can have multiple meanings. For example, something as simple as a kiss can manifest many different things to different people: love and affection, romance and seduction, greeting or farewell, betrayal and death, anger and frustration, or the rock band KISS.