signature
/ˈsɪɡ.nə.t͡ʃɚ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.25 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A person's name, written by that person, used as identification or to signify approval of accompanying material, such as a legal contract.
noun
The part of a doctor’s prescription containing directions for the patient.
noun
Signs on the stave indicating key and tempo, composed of the key signature and the time signature.
noun
A group of four (or a multiple of four) sheets printed such that, when folded, they become a section of a book.
noun
Data attached to a message that guarantees that the message originated from its claimed source.
noun
A mark or sign of implication.
Example Sentences
- "Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language […] his clerks […] understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or compositors, would have understood anything but a word here and a word there. For his signature, however, that was different."
- "IN COMMENTS during signature of the bill yesterday during “Agriculture Day” at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Thompson agreed with farmers that land needs to be protected."
- "[She ate with herself] during the whole evening, during supper, during her signature of unintelligible papers at her father's desk, when he told her gruffly that she would now have an income of £350 a year minus income tax, which would return to her in some mysterious way […]"
- "the natural and indelible signature of God, which human souls […] are supposed to be stamped with"
- "The TACOM Vehicle Signature Reduction program is concerned with reducing the noise signature detectability of military vehicles in combat."
- "A “signature” was placed on all things by God to indicate their affinities — but it was hidden, hence the search for arcane knowledge. Knowing was guessing and interpreting, not observing or demonstrating."
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French signature, or from Medieval Latin signātūra, future active periphrastic of verb signāre from signum (“sign”), + -tūra, feminine of -tūrus, future active periphrastic suffix. Displaced native Old English handseten (literally “hand setting”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsɪɡ.nə.t͡ʃɚ/
- British English: /ˈsɪɡ.nə.t͡ʃə/
Usage
Inflected Forms
signatures (plural)
more signature (comparative)
most signature (superlative)
signatures (present, singular)
signaturing (participle, present)
signatured (participle, past)
signatured (past)