Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Trophy \Tro"phy\, n.; pl. {Trophies}. [F. troph['e]e (cf. It. &
   Sp. trofeo), L. tropaeum, trophaeum, Gr. ?, strictly, a
   monument of the enemy's defeat, fr.? a turn, especially, a
   turning about of the enemy, a putting to flight or routing
   him, fr. ? to turn. See {Trope}.]
   1. (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.) A sign or memorial of a victory raised
      on the field of battle, or, in case of a naval victory, on
      the nearest land. Sometimes trophies were erected in the
      chief city of the conquered people.

   Note: A trophy consisted originally of some of the armor,
         weapons, etc., of the defeated enemy fixed to the trunk
         of a tree or to a post erected on an elevated site,
         with an inscription, and a dedication to a divinity.
         The Romans often erected their trophies in the Capitol.

   2. The representation of such a memorial, as on a medal; esp.
      (Arch.), an ornament representing a group of arms and
      military weapons, offensive and defensive.

   3. Anything taken from an enemy and preserved as a memorial
      of victory, as arms, flags, standards, etc.

            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.
                                                  --Dryden.

   4. Any evidence or memorial of victory or conquest; as, every
      redeemed soul is a trophy of grace.