English
signify
Signify comes from Latin significō ‘to show, express, signify, point out’, from signum ‘token, sign’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *segnom.
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnom‘sign’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignum‘token, sign’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignificōas significare‘to show, express, signify, point out’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400signifier
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500signifien
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1593signify
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnom‘sign’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignum‘token, sign’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignificōas significare‘to show, express, signify, point out’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400signifier
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500signifien
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1593signify
Earliest quotation: c. 1593, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]: “I’ll to the king; and signify to him /…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’
saw, sex, risk, section, ship, sexual, segment, sack, insect, scarlet, sawyer, designation, sax, het, shingle, sickle, dissect, scythe, seg, sich, sedge, desiccation, brassica, desiccant, assignation, 52 more
through Proto-Italic *segnom ‘sign’
design, sealing, resign, assign, consign, 18 more
through Latin signum ‘token, sign’
seal, signal, ensign, insignia, sain, signet, sigil, 12 more
Today it means
verb To create a sign out of something.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Italic *segnom / signify