sign

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For more information on sign, visit Britannica.com.

plane angle ¹/₁₂ revolution of 360° = 30° (0.523 598 8~ rad), being the portion of the circle pertaining to each sign of the zodiac.

A symbol that identifies a positive or negative number. In digital form, it is either a separate character or part of the byte. In ASCII, the sign is kept in a separate character typically transmitted in front of the number it represents

(+ and - is 2B and 2D in hex).

In EBCDIC, the minus sign can be stored as a separate byte (hex 60), or, more commonly, as half a byte (+ and - is C and D in hex), which is stored in the high-order bits of the least significant byte. For packed decimal, it is in the low-order bits of the least significant byte.

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noun

1. Something visible or evident that gives grounds for believing in the existence or presence of something else: badge, evidence, index, indication, indicator, manifestation, mark, note, signification, stamp, symptom, token, witness. See show/hide.
2. Something that takes the place of words in communicating a thought or feeling: expression, gesture, indication, token. See show/hide.
3. An expressive, meaningful bodily movement: gesticulation, gesture, indication, motion, signal. Informal high sign. See express.
4. A usually public posting that conveys a message: bill¹, billboard, notice, placard, poster. See show/hide.
5. A conventional mark used in a writing system: character, symbol. See marks.
6. A phenomenon that serves as a sign or warning of some future good or evil: augury, forerunner, foretoken, omen, portent, prefigurement, presage, prognostic, prognostication. Idioms: writinghandwritingon the wall. See foresight, warn/invite.

verb

1. To affix one's signature to: autograph, endorse, inscribe, subscribe, undersign. Idioms: put one's John Hancock on, set one's hand to. See law.
2. To make bodily motions so as to convey an idea or complement speech: gesticulate, gesture, motion, signal, signalize. Idioms: give the high sign. See express.

phrasal verb - sign on

To become a member of: enlist, enroll, enter, join, muster in, sign up. See participate/abstain.

phrasal verb - sign over

To change the ownership of (property) by means of a legal document: cede, deed, grant, make over. Law alien, alienate, assign, convey, transfer. See give/take/reciprocity, law.

phrasal verb - sign up

To become a member of: enlist, enroll, enter, join, muster in. Informal sign on. See participate/abstain.

Idioms beginning with sign:
signed, sealed, and delivered
sign in
sign on the dotted line
sign out
sign over
sign up

In addition to the idioms beginning with sign, see high sign; show signs of.

sign, a basic element of communication, either linguistic (e.g. a letter or word) or non‐linguistic (e.g. a picture, or article of dress); or anything that can be construed as having a meaning. According to the influential theory of the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure, every sign has two inseparable aspects: the signifier, which is the materially perceptible component such as a sound or written mark, and the signified, which is the conceptual meaning. In a linguistic sign, according to Saussure, the relationship between signifier and signified is ‘unmotivated’ or arbitrary; that is, it is based purely on social convention rather than on natural necessity: there is nothing about a horse which demands that it be called ‘horse’, since the French call the same thing un cheval. Saussure's theory deliberately leaves out the referent or real external object referred to by a sign. The alternative theory of the American philosopher C. S. Peirce has more room for referents and for ‘motivated’ signs. Peirce calls the unmotivated sign a symbol, while identifying two further kinds of sign: the icon, which resembles its referent (e.g. a photograph), and the index, which is caused by its referent (e.g. a medical symptom).

Verb: signify.

1. A display board or surface used for directions, identification, instructions, or advertising; usually consists of lettering, pictures, diagrams, decoration, etc., often in combination, on a contrasting background surface.
2. According to OSHA: a warning of hazard, temporarily or permanently affixed or placed, at a location where a hazard exists.

1. An objective indication (that is, one found by examining a patient) of a disease, physiological malfunction, or injury. Compare symptom.

2. A gesture or body movement which communicates an idea or intention.

At various moments in history and in times of great stress, suffering, and persecution, reports of paranormal signs (believed to portend great events) frequently emerged. Under these conditions it was not unusual for ecstatic states to become epidemic, prophecies to be uttered, and unusual physical phenomena to appear. Many of these reports appear to be a mixture of misobservation of mundane if unusual occurrences and hallucinations.

The ancient historians Josephus and Tacitus wrote of fearful sights and great signs from heaven before the judgment on Jerusalem. When, three centuries later, Julian the Apostate attempted to rebuild Jerusalem, fiery balls burst forth upon the workmen and took strange shapes. This was recorded not only by Julian's own historian but by Jewish and non-Roman writers as well. Many accounts testify of the signs and wonders during the persecution of the Huguenots in France.

From the dawn of printing onward, unnatural events and prodigies of nature became the subject of broadside balladsheets and chapbook pamphlets, the street literature of poor people. Monstrous births and other signs and wonders were made the occasion for moralizing about the sins of the day and predicted divine judgment. Even in modern times, visions of the Virgin Mary are often considered signs of divine wrath at a sinful world.

Sources:

Eniatos. Mirabilis Annus; or, The Year of Prodigies and Wonders; Being a Collection of Several Signs That Have Been Seen in the Heavens, in the Earth, and in the Waters, Together with Many Remarkable Accidents and Judgments … Within the Space of One Year Last Past. London, 1661.

Grey, E. Howard. Visions, Previsions and Miracles in Modern Times. London: L. N. Fowler, 1915.

Rollins, Hyder E., ed. The Pack of Autolycus or Strange and Terrible News of Ghosts, Apparitions, Monstrous Births, Showers of Wheat, Judgments of God, and other Prodigious and Fearful Happenings as told in Broadside Ballads of the Years 1624-1693. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1927.

Thompson, C. J. S. The Mystery and Lore of Monsters. London: Williams & Norgate, 1930. Reprint, New Hyde Park, N.Y.: University Books, 1968.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

A dream about a road sign may be indicating a direction in which the dreamer should go in their journey through life.

Any objective evidence of disease or dysfunction recognizable by the veterinarian. Symptoms, the subjective sensations experienced by human patients, are not definable in veterinary medicine and the term has no application to veterinarians.

• cardinal s's — of greatest significance to the veterinarian; establishing the identity of the illness. Shown in abnormalities of the temperature, pulse and respiration. Key sign is a more appropriate expression for the important signs in a particular case on which the clinician will base his or her diagnosis.
• presenting s's — the signs or group of signs about which the client complains or from which relief is sought.
• withdrawal s's — those following sudden abstinence from a drug on which a patient is dependent.

An indication of the existence of something; any objective evidence of a disease.

• Linguistics and Writing Systems - signing: communication by sign language

Dansk (Danish)
n. - tegn, mærke, symptom, signatur, skilt
v. tr. - underskrive, afmærke, engagere
v. intr. - gøre tegn

idioms:

• make no sign    ikke røre på sig
• no sign of    intet tegn på
• sign away    fraskrive sig, give afkald på
• sign for    skrive under for, tegne, kvittere for, kautionere for
• sign in    blive registreret, melde sig, skrive sig ind
• sign language    tegnsprog
• sign of the times    tidens tegn
• sign off    afmønstre, afvise, melde af, trække sig ud af
• sign on    antage, engagere, lade sig engagere, påtage sig et arbejde
• sign one's own death warrant    skrive under på sin egen dødsdom
• sign out    stemple ud, afmelde sig
• sign over    overdrage
• sign up    indmelde sig, tage engagement
• signed and sealed    klappet og klart
• signed, sealed and delivered    klappet og klart

Nederlands (Dutch)
tekenen, een handtekening zetten onder, signeren, tekens geven, met gebarentaal voor doven spreken, teken, kenteken, (uithang)bord, aanwijzing, symptoom

Français (French)
n. - signe, symbole, panneau, pancarte, enseigne, geste, signal, (Astrol) signe
v. tr. - signer, engager (sur un contrat)
v. intr. - signer, (Sport) signer son contrat (pour), faire signe à qn (de faire), communiquer en langage des sourds-muets

idioms:

• make no sign    ne faire aucun signe
• no sign of    aucun signe de
• sign away    renoncer à (qch) par écrit
• sign for    signer pour
• sign in    signer le registre (à l'arrivée), inscrire (un hôte)
• sign language    code /langage gestuel, communiquer par signes
• sign of the times    signe des temps
• sign off    (Radio, TV) terminer (une émission), terminer (une lettre)
• sign off on    terminer sur
• sign on    (GB, Admin Soc) pointer au chômage, s'engager, s'inscrire (à, dans), engager (un joueur, un employé)
• sign on the dotted line    (lit) signer à l'endroit indiqué, (fig) donner son consentement
• sign one's own death warrant    signer son arrêt de mort
• sign out    signer le registre (au départ)
• sign over    céder par écrit
• sign someone off    terminer (lettre à qn)
• sign someone on    engager qn
• sign something out    signer le registre (au départ)
• sign up    s'engager, s'inscrire (à, dans), engager (un joueur)
• signed and sealed    (lit) dûment signé, (fig) terminé
• signed, sealed and delivered    (lit) dûment signé et remis à qui de droit, (fig) terminé

Deutsch (German)
n. - Zeichen, Vorzeichen, Schild, Anzeichen
v. - unterschreiben, unterzeichnen, signieren

idioms:

• make no sign    sich nicht rühren
• no sign of    kein Anzeichen von
• sign away    verzichten
• sign for    unterschreiben
• sign in    (sich) bei der Ankunft eintragen
• sign language    Zeichensprache
• sign of the times    Zeichen der Zeit
• sign off    sich verabschieden
• sign off on    (Radio) sich verabschieden, die Frequenz verlassen, die Sendungen aufnehmen, sich melden
• sign on    sich melden, anheuern
• sign on the dotted line    auf der punktierten Linie unterschreiben
• sign one's own death warrant    sein eigenes Todesurteil unterzeichnen
• sign out    sich abmelden
• sign over    überschreiben
• sign someone off    kündigen, abheuern
• sign someone on    einstellen, verpflichten, anwerben, anheuern
• sign something out    in Vertrag nehmen, vertraglich verpflichten
• sign up    (sich) verpflichten
• signed and sealed    unterschrieben und besiegelt
• signed, sealed and delivered    unterschrieben, gesiegelt und ausgehändigt

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σήμα, ένδειξη, (ιδιαίτερο) γνώρισμα, έμβλημα, σύμβολο, σημείο, σημάδι, σύνθημα, αναγνωριστικό σημείο, σύμπτωμα (ασθένειας κ.λπ.), νεύμα (κν. γνέψιμο, νόημα), οιωνός, πινακίδα, ταμπέλα, επιγραφή, ζώδιο, (αστρον.) αστερισμός, (μαθημ.) σύμβολο, πρόσημο
v. - υπογράφω, γνέφω, σημειώνω

idioms:

• call sign    αναγνωριστικό σήμα (ραδιοσταθμού ή ασύρματου)
• make no sign    δεν διαμαρτύρομαι, φαίνομαι αναίσθητος
• no sign of    ούτε ίχνος
• sign away    παραχωρώ
• sign for    υπογράφω ότι έλαβα
• sign in    υπογράφω κατά την άφιξη
• sign language    γλώσσα των χειρονομιών, συνθηματική γλώσσα
• sign of the times    σημάδι των καιρών
• sign off    υπογράφω, απέρχομαι, τερματίζω, (καθομ.) κλείνω ραδιοφωνική εκπομπή, (στο μπριτζ) κάνω αγορά παραίτησης
• sign on    προσλαμβάνω (με συμβόλαιο κ.λπ.), αρχίζω ραδιοφωνική εκπομπή, υποβάλλω αίτηση για χορήγηση επιδόματος ανεργίας
• sign one's own death warrant    υπογράφω τη θανατική μου καταδίκη
• sign out    υπογράφω κατά την αναχώρηση από ξενοδοχείο
• sign over    εκχωρώ
• sign up    εγγράφομαι, διορίζω/-ομαι, προσλαμβάνω/-ομαι, κατατάσσω/-ομαι
• signed and sealed    υπογραμμένος και σφραγισμένος
• signed, sealed and delivered    που υπογράφηκε, σφραγίστηκε και παραδόθηκε

Italiano (Italian)
firmare, segno, tabellone, segnale

idioms:

• make no sign    non far cenno
• no sign of    nessun segno di
• sign away    cedere per iscritto
• sign for    firmare una ricevuta
• sign in    registrarsi
• sign language    lingua a gesti
• sign of the times    indice dei tempi
• sign off    concludere
• sign on    ingaggiare
• sign on for    iscriversi a
• sign out    firmare l'uscita
• sign over    cedere i diritti
• sign up    iscriversi
• signed and sealed    definito
• signed, sealed and delivered    definito e concluso

Português (Portuguese)
n. - sinal (m), emblema (m), letreiro (m), presságio (m), aceno (m), manifestação (f), indício (m), milagre (m), rastro (m)
v. - benzer-se, simbolizar, subscrever

idioms:

• make no sign    não dar sinal de vida
• no sign of    nenhum sinal de
• sign away    transferir título de propriedade
• sign for    acenar
• sign in    assinar registro de chegada
• sign language    linguagem (f) de sinais
• sign of the times    sinal (m) dos tempos
• sign off    anunciar o fim de uma transmissão, calar a boca (gír.)
• sign on    iniciar transmissão
• sign on for    ser contratado
• sign out    assinar registro de saída
• sign over    assinar cessão de bens e patrimônio
• sign up    alistar-se
• signed and sealed    assinado e selado
• signed, sealed and delivered    assinado, selado e remetido

Русский (Russian)
признак, свидетельство, симптом, обозначение, условный знак, жест, сигнал, предзнаменование, знак зодиака, вывеска, подпись, подписывать, подавать знак, помечать, перекрестить

idioms:

• make no sign    не подавать признаков жизни, не возражать
• no sign of    никаких признаков
• sign away    отписать, передавать права на что-л. посредством подписания юридического акта
• sign for    расписаться в (получении)
• sign in    зарегистрироваться
• sign language    язык жестов
• sign of the times    знамение времени
• sign off    подавать знак окончания передачи, отметиться при уходе с работы, уволить с работы, выйти из игры
• sign on    отмечаться при выходе на работу, зарегистрироваться для получения пособия по безработице
• sign on for    поступить на работу
• sign out    выписаться, выписать, отметиться в книге ухода, дать пропуск на вынос, получить увольнительную
• sign over    отказаться, оформить продажу
• sign up    записаться, поступить на работу, оформить заказ клиента
• signed and sealed    окончательно оформлено
• signed, sealed and delivered    окончательно оформлено

Español (Spanish)
n. - firma, marca, señal, rótulo, letrero, signo, símbolo, seña, indicio
v. tr. - firmar, suscribir, indicar con un signo, hacer seña de, contratar
v. intr. - hacer señas, hablar por signos

idioms:

• make no sign    no dar señales
• no sign of    ni señas de
• sign away    ceder
• sign for    fichar, matricularse
• sign in    registrarse
• sign language    lenguaje por señas
• sign of the times    signo del tiempo en que vivimos
• sign off    acabar el programa, terminar
• sign off on    dar la aprobación para algo
• sign on    enrolar, alistarse
• sign on the dotted line    firmar en la línea punteada, firmar sin discutir
• sign one's own death warrant    firmar la sentencia de muerte de uno
• sign out    registrar la salida
• sign over    traspasar, ceder
• sign someone off    anunciarle el fin a alguien
• sign someone on    contratar a alguien, enrolar, alistarse
• sign something out    firmar para dejar sentado que uno tomó algo prestado, registrar la salida
• sign up    enrolar, inscribirse, alistarse, apuntarse, matricular, suscribirse
• signed and sealed    firmado y sellado
• signed, sealed and delivered    firmado sellado y remitido

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - tecken, märke, spår, symbol, fingervisning, vink, skylt, djurspår
v. - underteckna, skriva under, skriva sitt namn, ge tecken, teckna, visa

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
记号, 符号, 招牌, 标志, 标牌, 前兆, 签, 签名于, 签署, 写下, 签字, 署名, 做手势示意

idioms:

• make no sign    看来并未发觉
• no sign of    没有任何迹像
• sign away    签字放弃
• sign for    签收
• sign in    签到, 签收, 记录到达时间
• sign language    手语
• sign of the times    时局动向
• sign off    停止广播, 停止活动
• sign on    签约雇用, 开始广播
• sign one's own death warrant    自己毁灭自己, 自取灭亡
• sign out    退出
• sign over    签字放弃或让予
• sign up    签约参加工作, 签约雇用
• signed and sealed    签名并盖章密封
• signed, sealed and delivered    签名盖章密封并送交, 做完必须做的事

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 記號, 符號, 招牌, 標誌, 標牌, 前兆
v. tr. - 簽, 簽名於, 簽署, 寫下
v. intr. - 簽字, 署名, 做手勢示意

idioms:

• make no sign    看來並未發覺
• no sign of    沒有任何跡像
• sign away    簽字放棄
• sign for    簽收
• sign in    簽到, 簽收, 記錄到達時間
• sign language    手語
• sign of the times    時局動向
• sign off    停止廣播, 停止活動
• sign on    簽約雇用, 開始廣播
• sign one's own death warrant    自己毀滅自己, 自取滅亡
• sign out    退出
• sign over    簽字放棄或讓予
• sign up    簽約參加工作, 簽約雇用
• signed and sealed    簽名並蓋章密封
• signed, sealed and delivered    簽名蓋章密封並送交, 做完必須做的事

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 기호, 표시, 흔적
v. tr. - ~에 사인하다, 서명하여 처분하다, (몸짓, 손짓으로) 알리다
v. intr. - 서명하다, 몸짓하다, 계약하다

idioms:

• make no sign    의식이 없는 것 같다, 아무런 태도 표시가 없다
• sign away    증서에 서명하여, ~을 양도하다
• sign for    ~의 수령을 서명하다
• sign in    (타임리코더로) 출근 시간을 기록하다, (클럽 따위의) 회원이 되다
• sign off    방송 종료 신호를 하다, 서명하고 ~하지 않을 것을 맹세하다, 관계를 끊다
• sign on    (안 등을) 인정하다, 승인하다
• sign out    서명하고 출발하다
• sign over    서명하고 매도하다, 정식으로 승인하다
• sign up    군대에 응모하다, ~의 구입계약을 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 記号, 看板, 掲示, 標識, 印, 形跡, 身振り, サイン, 奇跡
v. - 署名する, 書く, 合図する, 契約して雇う, 知らせる, 契約する

idioms:

• make no sign    意識がないようだ
• no sign of    気配はない, 影も形もない
• sign away    署名して譲る
• sign for    受取りに署名する
• sign in    署名して入る
• sign language    手話, 手ぶり言語
• sign of the times    世相
• sign off    終了する, 手紙を終える, 話をやめる
• sign on    雇う, 登録する, 放送開始を告げる
• sign on for    として署名する
• sign one's death warrant    自滅する
• sign out    外出を認める, サインして預かる
• sign over    署名して売り渡す
• sign up    あと, そぶり
• signed    署名済みの
• signed and sealed    署名捺印済みの

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رمز, لافته, أشارة, علامه (فعل) يشير, يوقع, يرسم أشارة ألصليب, يعلم‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮סימן, אות, מופת, שלט, רמז, תנועה, מזל (בגלגל-המזלות), סיסמה, סימון‬
v. tr. - ‮החתים, נרשם‬
v. intr. - ‮חתם, נרשם‬

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