signify
[ sig-nuh-fahy ]
/ ˈsɪg nəˌfaɪ /
verb (used with object), sig·ni·fied, sig·ni·fy·ing.
verb (used without object), sig·ni·fied, sig·ni·fy·ing.
to be of importance or consequence.
Nearby words
significative, significs, signified, signifier, signifié, signify, signifying, signing, signior, signiory, signor
Origin of signify
Related formssig·ni·fi·a·ble, adjectiveun·sig·ni·fi·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for signify
British Dictionary definitions for signify
signify
/ (ˈsɪɡnɪˌfaɪ) /
verb -fies, -fying or -fied (when tr, may take a clause as object)
(tr) to indicate, show, or suggest
(tr) to imply or portendthe clouds signified the coming storm
(tr) to stand as a symbol, sign, etc (for)
(intr) informal to be significant or important
Derived Formssignifiable, adjectivesignifier, noun
Word Origin for signify
C13: from Old French signifier, from Latin significāre, from signum a sign, mark + facere to make
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for signify
signify
late 13c., "be a sign of, indicate, mean," from Old French signifier (12c.), from Latin significare "to make signs, show by signs, point out, express; mean, signify; foreshadow, portend," from significus (adj.), from signum "sign" (see sign (n.)) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Intransitive sense of "to be of importance" is attested from 1660s. Meaning "engage in mock-hostile banter" is American English black slang first recorded 1932.
...'signifying,' which in Harlemese means making a series of oblique remarks apparently addressed to no one in particular, but unmistakable in intention in such a close-knit circle. ["Down Beat," March 7, 1968]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper