signal
English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old French segnal, seignal or Medieval Latin signāle; noun use of the neuter of Late Latin signālis, from Latin signum; verb use from 1805, as a shortened from signalize (1650s).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
signal (plural signals)
- A sequence of states representing an encoded message in a communication channel.
- Any variation of a quantity or change in an entity over time that conveys information upon detection.
- A sign made to give notice of some occurrence, command, or danger, or to indicate the start of a concerted action.
- 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:
- All obeyed / The wonted signal and superior voice / Of this great potentate.
- An on-off light, semaphore, or other device used to give an indication to another person.
- (of a radio, TV, telephone, internet, etc.) An electromagnetic action, normally a voltage that is a function of time, that conveys the information of the radio or TV program or of communication with another party.
- My mobile phone can't get a signal in the railway station.
- An action, change or process done to convey information and thus reduce uncertainty.
- A token; an indication; a foreshadowing; a sign.
- c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene iii]:
- The weary sun […] / Gives signal of a goodly day to-morrow.
- 1722, Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year
- There was not the least signal of the calamity to be seen.
- Useful information, as opposed to noise.
- (computing, Unix) A simple interprocess communication used to notify a process or thread of an occurrence.
- (biochemistry) A signalling interaction between cells
Antonyms[edit]
- (useful information): noise
Derived terms[edit]
- cab signal
- colour light signal
- danger signal
- distant signal
- distress signal
- fog signal
- home signal
- hypersignal
- hyposignal
- phylosignal
- radio signal
- right-away signal
- semaphore signal
- signal box, signalbox
- signal bridge
- signal cabin
- signal check
- signal gantry
- signal lad
- signalman
- signal post, signalpost
- signal strength
- signalwoman
- smoke signal
- somersault signal
- starter signal
- starting signal
- stop signal
- turn signal
Translations[edit]
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See also[edit]
Verb[edit]
signal (third-person singular simple present signals, present participle (UK) signalling or (US) signaling, simple past and past participle (UK) signalled or (US) signaled)
- (transitive, intransitive) To indicate; to convey or communicate by a signal.
- I signalled my acquiescence with a nod.
- He whistled to signal that we should stop.
- (transitive) To communicate with (a person or system) by a signal.
- Seeing the flames, he ran to the control room and signalled headquarters.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
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Adjective[edit]
signal (not comparable)
- Standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement.
- a signal exploit; a signal success; a signal act of benevolence
- 1671, John Milton, “Samson Agonistes, […]”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J. M[acock] for John Starkey […], OCLC 228732398, page 27:
- As ſignal now in low dejected ſtate, / As earſt in higheſt, behold him where he lies.
- 1866, Herman Melville, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War[1], Supplement:
- But, setting this view aside, dishonorable would it be in the South were she willing to abandon to shame the memory of brave men who with signal personal disinterestedness warred in her behalf, though from motives, as we believe, so deplorably astray.
Synonyms[edit]
- eminent, noteworthy, significant; see also Thesaurus:important or Thesaurus:notable
Related terms[edit]
- signature (adjective)
Anagrams[edit]
Danish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Medieval Latin signale.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
signal n (singular definite signalet, plural indefinite signaler)
- a signal
Declension[edit]
neuter gender |
Singular | Plural | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
nominative | signal | signalet | signaler | signalerne |
genitive | signals | signalets | signalers | signalernes |
References[edit]
- “signal” in Den Danske Ordbog
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Re-latinization of Old French segnal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Late Latin signālis, from Latin signum.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
signal m (plural signaux)
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
- → Turkish: sinyal
Further reading[edit]
- “signal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams[edit]
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Medieval Latin signale.
Noun[edit]
signal n (definite singular signalet, indefinite plural signal or signaler, definite plural signala or signalene)
- a signal
Derived terms[edit]
References[edit]
- “signal” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Medieval Latin signale.
Noun[edit]
signal n (definite singular signalet, indefinite plural signal, definite plural signala)
- a signal
Derived terms[edit]
References[edit]
- “signal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Romanian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Noun[edit]
signal n (plural signale)
Declension[edit]
singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
nominative/accusative | (un) signal | signalul | (niște) signale | signalele |
genitive/dative | (unui) signal | signalului | (unor) signale | signalelor |
vocative | signalule | signalelor |
Serbo-Croatian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From German Signal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Latin signum.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
sìgnāl m (Cyrillic spelling сѝгна̄л)
Declension[edit]
References[edit]
- “signal” in Hrvatski jezični portal
Swedish[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (file)
Noun[edit]
signal c
- a signal
Declension[edit]
Declension of signal | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | signal | signalen | signaler | signalerna |
Genitive | signals | signalens | signalers | signalernas |
Anagrams[edit]
Vilamovian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Old French segnal, seignal or Medieval Latin signāle, noun use of the neuter of Late Latin signālis, from Latin signum.
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (file)
Noun[edit]
signal n (plural signale)
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sek-
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sekʷ- (follow)
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Medieval Latin
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English terms derived from Latin
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/ɪɡnəl
- Rhymes:English/ɪɡnəl/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- en:Computing
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- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English adjectives
- English uncomparable adjectives
- en:Directives
- en:Rail transportation
- Danish terms derived from Medieval Latin
- Danish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Danish lemmas
- Danish nouns
- Danish neuter nouns
- French terms derived from Old French
- French terms derived from Medieval Latin
- French terms derived from Late Latin
- French terms derived from Latin
- French 2-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio links
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål terms derived from Medieval Latin
- Norwegian Bokmål lemmas
- Norwegian Bokmål nouns
- Norwegian Bokmål neuter nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk terms derived from Medieval Latin
- Norwegian Nynorsk lemmas
- Norwegian Nynorsk nouns
- Norwegian Nynorsk neuter nouns
- Romanian terms borrowed from French
- Romanian terms derived from French
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian nouns
- Romanian countable nouns
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- Serbo-Croatian terms derived from German
- Serbo-Croatian terms derived from Medieval Latin
- Serbo-Croatian terms derived from Latin
- Serbo-Croatian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Serbo-Croatian lemmas
- Serbo-Croatian nouns
- Serbo-Croatian masculine nouns
- Swedish terms with audio links
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns
- Vilamovian terms derived from Old French
- Vilamovian terms derived from Medieval Latin
- Vilamovian terms derived from Late Latin
- Vilamovian terms derived from Latin
- Vilamovian terms with audio links
- Vilamovian lemmas
- Vilamovian nouns
- Vilamovian neuter nouns