semiosis

[see-mee-oh-sis, sem-ee-, see-mahy-]

noun

Semiotics.

1. the process of connecting a sign, the particular use of that sign, and the specific meaning the observer associates with that sign, such as when someone sees a red light as an instruction to stop, or reads the word tree and thinks of a tree.

Word History and Origins

Origin of semiosis¹

First recorded in 1905–10; introduced by U.S. philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce; from Greek sēmeíōsis “sign”

Example Sentences

To see how the practical experience of the market freed itself from language and literacy, let us now examine the market process as semiosis in its various aspects.

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In market semiosis, desire proves to be just as important, if not more so, than need.

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The semiosis of group and mass communication is very different from the semiosis of pointcasting.

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Rudimentary signs, incipient language, oral communication, notation, and writing are stages in the semiosis of means of expression and communication.

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The semiosis of naming children reflects this condition.

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