trophy

Etymology

From Middle French trophée, from Latin trophaeum (“a sign of victory, a monument”), tropaeum, from Ancient Greek τρόπαιον (trópaion, “monument of an enemy's defeat”), from neuter of τροπαῖος (tropaîos, “of defeat”), from τροπή (tropḗ, “a rout, a turning of an enemy”).

noun

1. An object, usually in the form of a statuette, cup, or shield, awarded for success in a competition or to mark a special achievement.
   He won the trophy in a running competition.
2. An object taken as a prize by a hunter or conqueror, especially one that is displayed.
   The set of antlers which hung on the wall was his prized trophy.
   Around the posts hung helmets, darts, and spears, / And captive chariots, axes, shields, and bars, / And broken beaks of ships, the trophies of their wars.
3. Any emblem of success; a status symbol.
   His trophies included his second wife, his successful children, the third and fourth homes in Palm Beach and Malibu, and his three yachts.
   “The stakes are getting so high,” Mr. MacDonald-Korth said in a telephone interview, referring to the skyrocketing amounts being paid for trophy works of art. 2018-06-08, Scott Reyburn, “Art Is Becoming a Financial Product, and Blockchain Is Making It Happen”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
4. (criminology, by extension) An object taken by a serial killer or rapist as a memento of the crime.
5. (historical, Ancient Rome) A tropæum.
6. (art, architecture) A display of weaponry and other militaria, often captured from a defeated enemy, as an ornament designed for the purpose of triumphalist display by a victor or as a show of military prowess by a monarch.
   The souvenirs which many killers retain of their victims are often described as trophies, and Norman Bates's taxidermic interests derived from the real-life Ed Gein. 1994, Philip Jenkins, Using Murder: The Social Construction of Serial Homicide, page 117
   A trophy from this murder would have been of great importance. 2001, R. Michael Gordon, Alias Jack the Ripper: Beyond the Usual Whitechapel Suspects, page 82
   The offender is also likely to mentally relive his killings, often with the help of souvenirs or trophies, such as a bracelet or a body part taken from the victim. 2004, Ronald F. Becker, Criminal Investigation, page 168
7. An artifact or artwork that has been stolen by a criminal and traded on the black market.
8. An animal killed by a trophy hunter that usually has its parts sold on the black market.

verb

1. (transitive) To adorn with trophies.
2. (intransitive) To win a trophy in a competition.
   He trophied at the 1993, 1994, 2012 and 2015 National Championships and was most proud of winning his class at the 2017 Spring Nationals. 2021, “Harold C. 'Todd' Freeman, III”, in Star Tribune