In Adobe Animate, what is a symbol?

A symbol in Adobe Animate is described as a type of asset that can be reused throughout a project. This is a fundamental concept within the software, as symbols allow creators to efficiently manage and manipulate complex animations and elements. When you create a symbol, you essentially encapsulate graphics, animations, or sounds into a single entity that can be duplicated without needing to recreate or reimport the asset each time it's necessary.

By converting graphics into symbols, you not only save time but also make it easier to make changes across your project. If you update the symbol, every instance of that symbol across your document will automatically reflect the update. This capability streamlines workflow and enhances productivity, as designers can focus on creating dynamic and rich content without redundancy, making the use of symbols one of the most powerful features in Adobe Animate for managing reusable assets.

The other options do not accurately define the functionality and purpose of symbols within Adobe Animate, focusing instead on other aspects of animation and layer management that do not convey the same efficiency and utility provided by symbols.