signifier

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English

Etymology

signify +‎ -er

Pronunciation

Noun

signifier (plural signifiers)

  1. Something or someone that signifies, makes something more significant or important.
    • 2008, Diane Rubenstein, This is Not a President: Sense, Nonsense, and the American Political Imaginary‎:
      If commentators have concurred on the characterization of Reagan as a synecdoche, they have also noted his status as a signifier.
    1. (cartomancy) A card representing a querent, question, or situation.
  2. (linguistics, philosophy) A sign, such as a written or spoken word, which refers to some concept, object or person, the signified.
    • 2001, Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections:
      Here things are getting better and better for women and people of color, and gay men and lesbians, more and more integrated and open, and all you can think about is some stupid, lame problem with signifiers and signifieds.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

(linguistics) the sound of spoken word or string of letters on a page that a person recognizes as a sign

See also

intension on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French signifier, senefier, from Old French senefier, a semi-learned borrowing from Latin significāre, from signum (“mark, sign, emblem”).

Pronunciation

Verb

signifier

  1. (transitive) to signify, mean
    Synonyms: indiquer, vouloir dire

Conjugation

Conjugation of signifier (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple signifier
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple signifiant
/si.ɲi.fjɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle signifié
/si.ɲi.fje/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present signifie
/si.ɲi.fi/ 		signifies
/si.ɲi.fi/ 		signifie
/si.ɲi.fi/ 		signifions
/si.ɲi.fjɔ̃/ 		signifiez
/si.ɲi.fje/ 		signifient
/si.ɲi.fi/
imperfect signifiais
/si.ɲi.fjɛ/ 		signifiais
/si.ɲi.fjɛ/ 		signifiait
/si.ɲi.fjɛ/ 		signifiions
/si.ɲi.fi.jɔ̃/ 		signifiiez
/si.ɲi.fi.je/ 		signifiaient
/si.ɲi.fjɛ/
past historic2 signifiai
/si.ɲi.fje/ 		signifias
/si.ɲi.fja/ 		signifia
/si.ɲi.fja/ 		signifiâmes
/si.ɲi.fjam/ 		signifiâtes
/si.ɲi.fjat/ 		signifièrent
/si.ɲi.fjɛʁ/
future signifierai
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁe/ 		signifieras
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁa/ 		signifiera
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁa/ 		signifierons
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁɔ̃/ 		signifierez
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁe/ 		signifieront
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁɔ̃/
conditional signifierais
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁɛ/ 		signifierais
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁɛ/ 		signifierait
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁɛ/ 		signifierions
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁjɔ̃/ 		signifieriez
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁje/ 		signifieraient
/si.ɲi.fi.ʁɛ/
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present signifie
/si.ɲi.fi/ 		signifies
/si.ɲi.fi/ 		signifie
/si.ɲi.fi/ 		signifiions
/si.ɲi.fi.jɔ̃/ 		signifiiez
/si.ɲi.fi.je/ 		signifient
/si.ɲi.fi/
imperfect2 signifiasse
/si.ɲi.fjas/ 		signifiasses
/si.ɲi.fjas/ 		signifiât
/si.ɲi.fja/ 		signifiassions
/si.ɲi.fja.sjɔ̃/ 		signifiassiez
/si.ɲi.fja.sje/ 		signifiassent
/si.ɲi.fjas/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — signifie
/si.ɲi.fi/ 		— signifions
/si.ɲi.fjɔ̃/ 		signifiez
/si.ɲi.fje/ 		—
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
  • past historic → present perfect
  • past anterior → pluperfect
  • imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
  • pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

(Christopher Kendris , Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Derived terms

Further reading

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia