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

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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About 10 bills including laws for sign language protections and compensation to survivors of mother and baby homes are currently going through the legislative process.

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But after having her first child at 16, Rayner studied part-time at college, learning British sign language and gaining a vocational qualification in social care.

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