- [from merriam-webster online]
- Main Entry: 1sign
- Pronunciation: \ˈsīn\
- Function: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 language2: 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> sign of the times> c: presage, portent <signs of an early spring> d: an objective evidence of plant or animal disease
7plural usually sign : traces of a usually wild animalsign>
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 language2: 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> sign of the times> c: presage, portent <signs of an early spring> d: an objective evidence of plant or animal disease
7plural usually sign : traces of a usually wild animal
[from Wikipedia: Signature]
A signature (from Latin signare, "sign") is a handwritten (and sometimes stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname or even a simple "X" that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a signature is a signatory. Like a handwritten signature, a signature work describes the work as readily identifying its creator.
[from Wikipedia: Sign]
A sign is an entity which signifies another entity. A natural sign is an entity which bears a causal relation to the signified entity, as thunder is a sign of storm. A conventional sign signifies by agreement, as a full stop signifies the end of a sentence.
