signatory

[sig-nuh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]

adjective

1. having signed, or joined in signing, a document.

   the signatory powers to a treaty.

noun

plural

signatories 

1. a signer, or one of the signers, of a document.

   France and Holland were among the signatories of the treaty.

signatory

/ ˈsɪɡnətərɪ, -trɪ /

noun

1. a person who has signed a document such as a treaty or contract or an organization, state, etc, on whose behalf such a document has been signed

adjective

1. having signed a document, treaty, etc

Other Word Forms

• nonsignatory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of signatory¹

1640–50, in earlier sense “used in affixing seals”; 1860–65 signatory for def. 2; < Latin signātōrius of, belonging to sealing, equivalent to signā ( re ) to mark, seal ( sign ) + -tōrius -tory ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of signatory¹

C17: from Latin signātōrius concerning sealing, from signāre to seal, from signum a mark

Example Sentences

That’s a pointed response to the Administration’s theme that signatories must commit to elevating merit and objective measures of accomplishment everywhere from university admissions to grade allocation.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As with other protests against the war, the boycott letter included Jewish signatories, exposing rifts among Jews in Israel and abroad.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

My favorite part: A demand that the sky-high tuition of signatory universities be frozen for five years.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Unlike Reform, the Tories are not promising to formally disapply the Refugee Convention, a 1951 treaty that prevents signatory countries from returning refugees to countries where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.

Read more on BBC

Part of the reason is that India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention or its 1967 protocol and considers Sri Lankan refugees as illegal migrants.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• autograph 
• identification 
• ink 
• name 
• seal 
• stamp 
• trademark