Etymology

One theory is that it comes from Albanian: compare sumbull, dialectal variant of standard thumbull ‎(“button”), diminutive of thumb ‎(“sting”). Alternatively, it may be a substratum word, akin to the Albanian one, or from a Vulgar Latin root *sumbola, symbola, from Latin symbolus, from Ancient Greek σύμβολον ‎(súmbolon, “a sign by which one infers something; a mark, token, badge, ticket, tally, check, a signal, watchword, outward sign”) ^[1]. Compare Aromanian sãmbure, shambãrã, sãmburã.