sign language

noun

1. Also called sign. any of several visual-gestural systems of communication, especially employing manual gestures, as used among deaf people.

2. any means of communication, as between speakers of different languages, using gestures.

sign language

noun

1. another word for signing

2. any system of communication by manual signs or gestures

Word History and Origins

Origin of sign language¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

People who are born profoundly deaf, meaning they have little or no hearing, often rely on sign language rather than speech to communicate.

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Another thing about Autumn: She’s fluent in both sign language and body language.

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Now 59, Tina says learning sign language has given her a new way to communicate.

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Terry Murray, from Rugby, is among a group of NHS patients to have been left feeling frustrated or vulnerable at a city hospital because of a lack of sign language interpreters.

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“They all speak the same language, but there wasn’t a villain who used sign language. Historically, there have been Deaf criminals, but our history has been marginalized.”

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