See signifier in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
"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": "From 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 26",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "34 34 33",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms suffixed with -er",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "34 34 31",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "39 39 21",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 2 entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "39 39 21",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "32 32 36",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 32 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 32 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 32 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "30 33 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
"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": "quote"
}
],
"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",
"Supernatural",
"Pseudoscience",
"Folklore",
"Sciences",
"Culture",
"All topics",
"Society",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w"
},
{
"_dis": "36 37 26",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "34 34 33",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms suffixed with -er",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "34 34 31",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "39 39 21",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 2 entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "39 39 21",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "32 32 36",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 32 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 32 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 32 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "30 33 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
"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 26",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "34 34 33",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms suffixed with -er",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "34 34 31",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Entries with translation boxes",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "39 39 21",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with 2 entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "39 39 21",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Pages with entries",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "21 26 53",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Czech translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "25 27 48",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "32 32 36",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 32 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 32 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Japanese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "31 32 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Russian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "30 33 37",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
"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": "quote"
}
],
"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": "4 5 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": "4 5 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": "4 5 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": "4 5 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": "4 5 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": "4 5 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": "4 5 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": "4 5 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"
}
],
"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 countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English terms suffixed with -er",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 2 entries",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Czech translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Japanese translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations"
],
"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": "From 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": "quote"
}
],
"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": "quote"
}
],
"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"
}
],
"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"
}
Download raw JSONL data for signifier meaning in English (5.5kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-02-21 using wiktextract (7c21d10 and f2e72e5). 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.