See signifier in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for signifier meaning in English (6.8kB)
{
"derived": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0",
"word": "empty signifier"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0",
"word": "floating signifier"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0",
"word": "master signifier"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "signify",
"3": "er"
},
"expansion": "signify + -er",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "signify + -er",
"forms": [
{
"form": "signifiers",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "signifier (plural signifiers)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"hyphenation": [
"sig‧ni‧fi‧er"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0",
"word": "signified"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0",
"word": "referent"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "36 37 27",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "30 38 32",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms suffixed with -er",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2008, Diane Rubenstein, This is Not a President: Sense, Nonsense, and the American Political Imaginary",
"text": "If commentators have concurred on the characterization of Reagan as a synecdoche, they have also noted his status as a signifier.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important."
],
"id": "en-signifier-en-noun-75YzcJFl",
"links": [
[
"signifies",
"signify"
],
[
"significant",
"significant"
],
[
"important",
"important"
]
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Cartomancy",
"orig": "en:Cartomancy",
"parents": [
"Divination",
"Occult",
"Forteana",
"Religion",
"Pseudoscience",
"Culture",
"Sciences",
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "36 37 27",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "30 38 32",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms suffixed with -er",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important.",
"A card representing a querent, question, or situation."
],
"id": "en-signifier-en-noun-~I0ete17",
"links": [
[
"signifies",
"signify"
],
[
"significant",
"significant"
],
[
"important",
"important"
],
[
"cartomancy",
"cartomancy"
],
[
"card",
"card"
],
[
"querent",
"querent"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important.",
"(cartomancy) A card representing a querent, question, or situation."
],
"topics": [
"cartomancy",
"human-sciences",
"mysticism",
"philosophy",
"sciences"
]
},
{
"categories": [
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Linguistics",
"orig": "en:Linguistics",
"parents": [
"Language",
"Social sciences",
"Communication",
"Sciences",
"Society",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Philosophy",
"orig": "en:Philosophy",
"parents": [
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "36 37 27",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "30 38 32",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms suffixed with -er",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2001, Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections",
"text": "Here things are getting better and better for women and people of color, and gay men and lesbians, more and more integrated and open, and all you can think about is some stupid, lame problem with signifiers and signifieds.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A sign, such as a written or spoken word, which refers to some concept, object or person, the signified."
],
"id": "en-signifier-en-noun-IpVN~feV",
"links": [
[
"linguistics",
"linguistics"
],
[
"philosophy",
"philosophy"
],
[
"sign",
"sign"
],
[
"word",
"word"
],
[
"refer",
"refer"
],
[
"signified",
"signified"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(linguistics, philosophy) A sign, such as a written or spoken word, which refers to some concept, object or person, the signified."
],
"topics": [
"human-sciences",
"linguistics",
"philosophy",
"sciences"
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "3 4 92",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "signifikant"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 4 92",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"word": "merkitsin"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 4 92",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "signifiant"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 4 92",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Signifikant"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 4 92",
"alt": "のうき",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "nōki",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"word": "能記"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 4 92",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "shinifian",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"word": "シニフィアン"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 4 92",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "označájuščeje",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "означа́ющее"
},
{
"_dis1": "3 4 92",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "significante"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪɚ/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪə/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-signifier.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-signifier.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-signifier.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-signifier.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-signifier.wav.ogg",
"tags": [
"Southern-England"
],
"text": "Audio (Southern England)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0 0",
"topics": [
"cartomancy",
"mysticism",
"philosophy",
"human-sciences",
"sciences"
],
"word": "significator"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "49 49 1",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important",
"word": "merkityksen antaja"
}
],
"word": "signifier"
}
{
"categories": [
"English 4-syllable words",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms suffixed with -er",
"English terms with IPA pronunciation",
"English terms with audio links"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "empty signifier"
},
{
"word": "floating signifier"
},
{
"word": "master signifier"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "signify",
"3": "er"
},
"expansion": "signify + -er",
"name": "suffix"
}
],
"etymology_text": "signify + -er",
"forms": [
{
"form": "signifiers",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "signifier (plural signifiers)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"hyphenation": [
"sig‧ni‧fi‧er"
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"related": [
{
"word": "signified"
},
{
"word": "referent"
}
],
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2008, Diane Rubenstein, This is Not a President: Sense, Nonsense, and the American Political Imaginary",
"text": "If commentators have concurred on the characterization of Reagan as a synecdoche, they have also noted his status as a signifier.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important."
],
"links": [
[
"signifies",
"signify"
],
[
"significant",
"significant"
],
[
"important",
"important"
]
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"en:Cartomancy"
],
"glosses": [
"Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important.",
"A card representing a querent, question, or situation."
],
"links": [
[
"signifies",
"signify"
],
[
"significant",
"significant"
],
[
"important",
"important"
],
[
"cartomancy",
"cartomancy"
],
[
"card",
"card"
],
[
"querent",
"querent"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important.",
"(cartomancy) A card representing a querent, question, or situation."
],
"topics": [
"cartomancy",
"human-sciences",
"mysticism",
"philosophy",
"sciences"
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"Quotation templates to be cleaned",
"en:Linguistics",
"en:Philosophy"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "2001, Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections",
"text": "Here things are getting better and better for women and people of color, and gay men and lesbians, more and more integrated and open, and all you can think about is some stupid, lame problem with signifiers and signifieds.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A sign, such as a written or spoken word, which refers to some concept, object or person, the signified."
],
"links": [
[
"linguistics",
"linguistics"
],
[
"philosophy",
"philosophy"
],
[
"sign",
"sign"
],
[
"word",
"word"
],
[
"refer",
"refer"
],
[
"signified",
"signified"
]
],
"raw_glosses": [
"(linguistics, philosophy) A sign, such as a written or spoken word, which refers to some concept, object or person, the signified."
],
"topics": [
"human-sciences",
"linguistics",
"philosophy",
"sciences"
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪɚ/",
"tags": [
"General-American"
]
},
{
"ipa": "/ˈsɪɡnɪfaɪə/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation"
]
},
{
"audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-signifier.wav",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-signifier.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-signifier.wav.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/b/b4/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-signifier.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-signifier.wav.ogg",
"tags": [
"Southern-England"
],
"text": "Audio (Southern England)"
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"topics": [
"cartomancy",
"mysticism",
"philosophy",
"human-sciences",
"sciences"
],
"word": "significator"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important",
"word": "merkityksen antaja"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "signifikant"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"word": "merkitsin"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "signifiant"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Signifikant"
},
{
"alt": "のうき",
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "nōki",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"word": "能記"
},
{
"code": "ja",
"lang": "Japanese",
"roman": "shinifian",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"word": "シニフィアン"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "označájuščeje",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "означа́ющее"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "significante"
}
],
"word": "signifier"
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-09 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (4d5d0bb and edd475d). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.