sign

"It's a sign of the end of the world," the doom prophet said.

(sometimes also used uncountably) A visible fact that shows that something exists or may happen.

Signs of disease are objective, whereas symptoms are subjective.

(medicine) A property of the body that indicates a disease and, unlike a symptom, can be detected objectively by someone other than the patient.

Their angry expressions were a clear sign they didn't want to talk.

Those clouds show signs of raining soon.

Those clouds show little sign of raining soon.

Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.

1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter V, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC:

No, I don't know why you're not fair / I give you my love, but you don't care / So what is right and what is wrong? / Gimme a sign

1993 January 18, Dee Dee Halligan, Junior Torello, “What Is Love”, in The Album, performed by Haddaway:

The sharp sign indicates that the pitch of the note is raised a half step.

I gave them a thumbs-up sign.

The sound of the Orlando dinner train whistle reminds me that it ' s already Friday, an auditory sign. Another auditory sign, a distant thunder clap, warns me of limited computer time before our evening thunderstorm moves in.

2000, Geoffrey McGuinness, Carmen McGuinness, How to Increase Your Child's Verbal Intelligence: The Language Wise Method, Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 38:

A mark or another symbol used to represent something.

The hunters found deer sign at the end of the trail.

Animal sign is the key to eliminating guesswork when setting your traps. Only trap where there is sign. Sign is anything the animal leaves as a trace that indicates it may have passed through the area.

2015, Dave Canterbury, Advanced Bushcraft: An Expert Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival, page 127:

(Canada, US, Australia, uncountable) Physical evidence left by an animal.

The sign in the window advertised a room for rent.

I missed the sign at the corner so I took the wrong turn.

The shops were, therefore, distinguished by painted signs, which gave a gay and grotesque aspect to the streets.

1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 3, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

A clearly visible object, generally flat, bearing a short message in words or pictures.

And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 4:17:

Your sign is Taurus? That's no surprise.

I got the magnitude right, but the sign was wrong.

(mathematics) Positive or negative polarity, as denoted by the + or - sign.

And why not, as well as our dumbe men dispute, argue and tell histories by signes?

1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:

In American Sign Language (ASL), for instance, the sign for 'catch' is formed with one hand (in the role of agent) moving across the body (an action) to grasp the forefinger of the other hand (the patient).

2007, Marcel Danesi, The Quest for Meaning:

A specific gesture or motion used to communicate by those with speaking or hearing difficulties; now specifically, a linguistic unit in sign language equivalent to word in spoken languages.

Sorry, I don't know sign very well.

A Noun substantive and a Noun adjective may be thus distinguished, that a substantive may have the sign a or the before it; as, puer, a boy, the boy; but an adjective cannot, as, bonus, good.

1692, Thomas Bennet, Short Introduction of Grammar ... of the Latine Tongue:

A Pronoun is a Noun implying a Person, but not admitting the Sign a or the before it.

1753, Charles Davies, Busby's English Introduction to the Latin Tongue Examined, page 11:

And some linguistic signs, like “the”, “and” or “with”, may lack apparent objects, though they are clearly meaningful and interpretable.

2008, Eero Tarasti, Robert S. Hatten, A Sounding of Signs: Modalities and Moments in Music, Culture, and Philosophy : Essays in Honor of Eero Tarasti on His 60th Anniversary:

A semantic unit, something that conveys meaning or information (e.g. a word of written language); (linguistics, semiotics) a unit consisting of a signifier and a signified concept. (See sign (semiotics).)

The great Ensign of Messiah blaz'd Aloft by Angels born, his Sign in Heav'n.

1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

A military emblem carried on a banner or standard.

en-noun

sign (countable and uncountable, plural signs)

teken

a fact that shows that something exists or may happen

նշան

a mark or another symbol used to represent something

merkki

astrological sign — see also astrological sign

sign language in general — see also sign language

симпто́м

medicine: property of the body that indicates a disease

նշան

any of several specialized non-alphabetic symbols

From Middle English signe, sygne, syng, seine, sine, syne, from Old English seġn (“sign; mark; token”) and Old French signe, seing (“sign; mark; signature”); both from Latin signum (“a mark; sign; token”); root uncertain. Doublet of signum. Partially displaced native token.


sign

The Queen signed her letter with the regal signet.

(transitive, now rare) To seal (a document etc.) with an identifying seal or symbol.

Meantime revolving in his thoughtful mind / The scar, with which his manly knee was sign'd […].

1726, Elijah Fenton, The Odyssey of Homer:

(transitive) To mark, to put or leave a mark on.

To make a mark
To mark, to put or leave a mark on.

Enquire the Iewes house out, giue him this deed, / And let him signe it […].

c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

(transitive) To validate or ratify (a document) by writing one's signature on it.

I forgot to sign that letter to my aunt.

(transitive) More generally, to write one's signature on (something) as a means of identification etc.

Just sign your name at the bottom there.

I received a letter from some woman who signs herself ‘Mrs Trellis’.

(transitive or reflexive) To write (one's name) as a signature.

To make a mark
To write (one's name) as a signature.

Please sign on the dotted line.

(intransitive) To write one's signature.

To make a mark
To write one's signature.

Agents say Wales back Gavin Henson has signed for Cardiff Blues.

2011, The Guardian, (headline), 18 Oct 2011

(intransitive) To finalise a contractual agreement to work for a given sports team, record label etc.

It was a great month. I managed to sign three major players.

(transitive) To engage (a sports player, musician etc.) in a contract.

We receive this child into the congregation of Christ's flock, and do sign him with the sign of the cross.

1549 March 7, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, The Booke of the Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacramentes, […], London: […] Edowardi Whitchurche […], →OCLC:

At the baptismal ceremony the child was […] signed with the cross in holy water.

1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 34:

(transitive) To bless (someone or something) with the sign of the cross; to mark with the sign of the cross.

Shaking a fist at him with one fierce arm, / Signing himself with the other because of Christ.

To make the sign of the cross
(reflexive) To cross oneself.

To make the sign of the cross
To cross oneself.

I signed to Brown to make his retreat.

1815 February 24, [Walter Scott], Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and Archibald Constable and Co., […], →OCLC:

(intransitive) To communicate using a gesture or signal.

(transitive) To communicate or make known (a meaning, intention, etc.) by a sign.

He signed me that I should follow him through the doorway.

(transitive) To communicate using gestures to (someone).

To indicate
(intransitive) To use sign language.

(transitive) To furnish (a road etc.) with signs.

To indicate
To furnish (a road etc.) with signs.

(transitive) To calculate or derive whether a quantity has a positive or negative sign.

en-verb

sign (third-person singular simple present signs, present participle signing, simple past and past participle signed)

signs (present singular third-person)
signing (participle present)
signed (participle past)
signed (past)
sign (infinitive)

Scottish Gaelic: soidhn

nënshkruaj

to make (a document) official by writing one's signature

rekrytoida

to persuade a sports player etc. to sign a contract

intransitive: to communicate using sign language

dire ... en langue des signes

From Middle English signen, seinen, seinien, partly from Old English seġnian (“to mark; sign”) and partly from Anglo-Norman seigner, seiner et al., Old French signer et al., and their source Latin signāre (“to mark, seal, indicate, signify”); all from Latin signum (“a mark, sign”); see Etymology 1, above. Compare sain.