semiotic

American  

[see-mee-ot-ik, sem-ee, see-mahy-] / ˌsi miˈɒt ɪk, ˌsɛm i, ˌsi maɪ- /

adjective

1. of or relating to signs.

2. of or relating to semiotics.

3. Medicine/Medical. of or relating to symptoms; symptomatic.

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noun

1. semiotics.

semiotic British  

/ ˌsiːmɪ-, ˌsɛmɪˈɒtɪk /

adjective

1. relating to signs and symbols, esp spoken or written signs

2. relating to semiotics

3. of, relating to, or resembling the symptoms of disease; symptomatic

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Etymology

Origin of semiotic

First recorded in 1615–20; from Greek sēmeiōtikós “observant of (medical) signs, significant,” equivalent to sēmeiō-, verbal stem of sēmeioûn “to interpret as a sign” (derivative of Greek sēmeîon “sign”) + -tikos adjective suffix; semantic ( def. ), -ic ( def. )

Example Sentences

How we get to that point is complicated, both because the book is a murder mystery and because its author was one of the foremost thinkers in the field of semiotics.

From Salon

I always think about what the semiotics of a project are when I take it.

From Los Angeles Times

A type of rare semiotic unity had been achieved.

From Salon

I’ve spent entire evenings Googling ranch dressing varietals, decoding the semiotics of suburban chain restaurant menus, pondering the subtle thrill of foods that jiggle.

From Salon

For his part, Ouatiki – an Algerian national who at the time was a PhD student in semiotics – said he suffered greatly from speculation in the media that he may have been in on the heist.

From BBC