sign

sign
I. noun Etymology: Middle English signe, from Anglo-French, from Latin signum mark, token, sign, image, seal; perhaps akin to Latin secare to cut — more at saw Date: 13th century 1. a. a motion or gesture by which a thought is expressed or a command or wish made known b. signal 2a c. a fundamental linguistic unit that designates an object or relation or has a purely syntactic function <
signs include words, morphemes, and punctuation
>
d. one of a set of gestures used to represent language; also sign language 2. a mark having a conventional meaning and used in place of words or to represent a complex notion 3. one of the 12 divisions of the zodiac 4. a. (1) a character (as a flat or sharp) used in musical notation (2) segno b. a character (as ÷) indicating a mathematical operation; also one of two characters + and - that form part of the symbol of a number and characterize it as positive or negative 5. a. a display (as a lettered board or a configuration of neon tubing) used to identify or advertise a place of business or a product b. a posted command, warning, or direction c. signboard 6. a. something material or external that stands for or signifies something spiritual b. something indicating the presence or existence of something else <
signs of success
>
<
a sign of the times
>
c. presage, portent <
signs of an early spring
>
d. an objective evidence of plant or animal disease 7. plural usually sign traces of a usually wild animal <
red fox sign
>
Synonyms: sign, mark, token, note, symptom mean a discernible indication of what is not itself directly perceptible. sign applies to any indication to be perceived by the senses or the reason <
encouraging signs for the economy
>
. mark suggests something impressed on or inherently characteristic of a thing often in contrast to general outward appearance <
a mark of a good upbringing
>
. token applies to something that serves as a proof of something intangible <
this gift is a token of our esteem
>
. note suggests a distinguishing mark or characteristic <
a note of irony in her writing
>
. symptom suggests an outward indication of an internal change or condition <
rampant crime is a symptom of that city's decay
>
. II. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French signer, from Latin signare to mark, sign, seal, from signum Date: 13th century transitive verb 1. a. cross 2 b. to place a sign on or mark by signs <
sign a trail
>
c. to represent or indicate by a sign 2. a. to affix a signature to ; ratify or attest by hand or seal <
sign a bill into law
>
<
sign a confession
>
b. to assign or convey formally <
signed over his property to his brother
>
c. to write down (one's name) d. to affix one's name to <
a signed review
>
3. to communicate by making a sign or by sign language 4. to engage or hire by securing the signature of on a contract of employment — often used with up or on intransitive verb 1. to write one's name in token of assent, responsibility, or obligation <
signed for the packages
>
<
signed with the team for one season
>
2. a. to make a sign or signal b. to use sign language • signee nounsigner noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Sign-on — (or startup) is the term used to describe the beginning of operations for a television station. It is the opposite to a sign off (or closedown).As with sign offs, sign ons vary from country to country, and from station to station.North AmericaIn… …   Wikipedia

  • sign — [sīn] n. [ME signe < OFr < L signum, a mark, token, prob. < base of secare, to cut (see SAW1): orig. sense prob. “incised mark”] 1. something that indicates a fact, quality, etc.; indication; token [black as a sign of mourning] 2. a) a… …   English World dictionary

  • Sign — Sign, n. [F. signe, L. signum; cf. AS. segen, segn, a sign, standard, banner, also fr. L. signum. Cf. {Ensign}, {Resign}, {Seal} a stamp, {Signal}, {Signet}.] That by which anything is made known or represented; that which furnishes evidence; a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sign — n 1 Sign, mark, token, badge, note, symptom can denote a sensible and usually visible indication by means of which something not outwardly apparent or obvious is made known or revealed. Sign is the most comprehensive of these terms, being… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Sign — Single par Brown Eyed Girls Face A Sign (Japanese version) Face B Love is… (Jea Miryo) Sortie 26 janvier 2011 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sign — Sign, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Signed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Signing}.] [OE. seinen to bless, originally, to make the sign of the cross over; in this sense fr. ASS. segnian (from segn, n.), or OF. seignier, F. signer, to mark, to sign (in sense 3), fr. L …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sign — vt 1: to affix a signature to: ratify or attest by hand or seal sign a bill into law; specif: to write or mark something (as a signature) on (a document) as an acknowledgment of one s intention to be bound by it 2: to assign or convey formally… …   Law dictionary

  • sign — ► NOUN 1) a thing whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence, occurrence, or advent of something else. 2) a signal, gesture, or notice conveying information or an instruction. 3) a symbol or word used to represent something in… …   English terms dictionary

  • sign in — {v.} To write your name on a special list or in a record book to show that you are present. * /Every worker must sign in when coming back to work./ * /Teachers go to the office and sign in each morning before going to their classrooms./ Contrast… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • sign in — {v.} To write your name on a special list or in a record book to show that you are present. * /Every worker must sign in when coming back to work./ * /Teachers go to the office and sign in each morning before going to their classrooms./ Contrast… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • sign — [n1] indication, evidence assurance, augury, auspice, badge, beacon, bell, caution, clue, divination, flag, flash, foreboding, foreknowledge, foreshadowing, foretoken, forewarning, gesture, giveaway, handwriting on wall*, harbinger, herald, high… …   New thesaurus

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”