signal

See also: Signal and signál

English

Two-aspect railway signal

Alternative forms

• signall

Etymology

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

• enPR: sĭgʹnəl, IPA^(key): /ˈsɪɡnəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪɡnəl
• Hyphenation: sig‧nal

Noun

signal (plural signals)

1. A sequence of states representing an encoded message in a communication channel.
2. Any variation of a quantity or change in an entity over time that conveys information upon detection.
3. 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.

4. An on-off light, semaphore, or other device used to give an indication to another person.
5. (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.

6. An action, change or process done to convey information and thus reduce uncertainty.
7. 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.

8. Useful information, as opposed to noise.
9. (computing, Unix) A simple interprocess communication used to notify a process or thread of an occurrence.
10. (biochemistry) A signalling interaction between cells

Antonyms

• (useful information): noise

Derived terms

Terms derived from signal (noun)

• 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

sign made to give notice

• Albanian: sinjal (sq) m
• Arabic: إِشَارَة‎ f (ʾišāra)
• Armenian: ազդանշան (hy) (azdanšan), ազդակ (hy) (azdak)
• Azerbaijani: siqnal
• Belarusian: сігна́л m (sihnál), знак (be) m (znak)
• Bengali: ইশারা (bn) (iśara), সংকেত (bn) (śôṅket)
• Bulgarian: сигна́л (bg) m (signál)
• Burmese: လက္ခဏာ (my) (lakhka.na)
• Catalan: senyal (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 信號 (zh), 信号 (zh) (xìnhào)

• Czech: znamení (cs) n, signál (cs) m
• Danish: signal n
• Dutch: signaal (nl) n, sein (nl) n
• Esperanto: signalo
• Estonian: signaal (et)
• Finnish: merkki (fi), signaali (fi)
• French: signal (fr) m
• Galician: sinal (gl) m
• Georgian: სიგნალი (signali)
• German: Signal (de) n
• Greek: σήμα (el) n (síma)
• Hebrew: אוֹת‎ (he) m (ot), סִיגְנָל‎ m (signál)
• Hindi: संकेत (hi) m (saṅket), इशारा (hi) m (iśārā)
• Hungarian: jel (hu), jelzés (hu), jeladás (hu), (driving) index (hu), (a tune) szignál (hu)
• Italian: segnale (it) m
• Japanese: 信号 (ja) (しんごう, shingō), 合図 (ja) (あいず, aizu)
• Kazakh: сигнал (signal)
• Khmer: តម្រុយ (km) (tɑmroy), សង្កេត (km) (sɑngkeet), សញ្ញា (km) (saññaa)
• Korean: 신호(信號) (ko) (sinho)
• Kyrgyz: сигнал (ky) (signal)
• Lao: ສັນຍານ (san nyān)
• Latvian: signāls m
• Lithuanian: signalas (lt) m
• Macedonian: сигнал m (signal)
• Malay: isyarat (ms)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: дохио (mn) (doxio)

  Mongolian: ᠳᠣᠬᠢᠶ᠎ᠠ (doqiy'a)

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: signal n

  Nynorsk: signal n

• Pashto: اشاره‎ (ps) f (ešārá), سيګنل‎ m (signál), زيګنال‎ m (zignãl)
• Persian: سیگنال‎ (fa) (signâl), اشاره‎ (fa) (ešâre)
• Polish: sygnał (pl) m
• Portuguese: sinal (pt) m
• Romanian: semnal (ro)
• Russian: сигна́л (ru) m (signál), знак (ru) m (znak)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сѝгна̄л m

  Roman: sìgnāl (sh) m

• Slovak: znamenie n, signál m
• Slovene: signal m
• Spanish: señal (es) f
• Swahili: ishara (sw)
• Swedish: signal (sv) c
• Tajik: ишора (tg) (išora), ишорат (išorat), сигнал (signal)
• Telugu: సంజ్ఞ (te) (sañjña) (1), సంకేతం (te) (saṅkētaṁ) (1, 2)
• Thai: สัญญาณ (th) (sǎn-yaan)
• Turkish: sinyal (tr)
• Turkmen: signal
• Ukrainian: сигна́л m (syhnál), знак m (znak)
• Urdu: اشاره‎ m (iśāra)
• Uyghur: سىگنال‎ (signal)
• Uzbek: signal (uz), ishora (uz)
• Vietnamese: tín hiệu (vi)

device to give indication

• Bulgarian: семафо́р (bg) m (semafór)
• Catalan: senyal (ca) m
• Czech: signál (cs) m
• Danish: signal n
• Dutch: sein (nl) n
• Finnish: opastin (fi), merkinantolaite
• French: signal (fr) m
• Galician: sinal (gl) m
• German: Signal (de) m
• Hungarian: szemafor (hu), jelzőberendezés (hu)
• Italian: segnale (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: signal n

  Nynorsk: signal n

• Polish: sygnał (pl) m
• Portuguese: sinal (pt) m
• Romanian: semnal indicator n, semnalizator (ro) n
• Spanish: señal (es) f
• Swedish: signal (sv) c

telecommunication: electromagnetic action that conveys information

• Bulgarian: сигна́л (bg) m (signál)
• Catalan: senyal (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 信号 (zh) (xìnhào)

• Danish: signal n
• Dutch: signaal (nl) n
• Esperanto: signalo
• Finnish: signaali (fi)
• Galician: sinal (gl) m
• Hungarian: (general) jel (hu), (radio) rádiójel (hu), (telephony) térerő (hu), térerősség
• Indonesian: sinyal (id)
• Italian: segnale (it) m, campo (it) m
• Japanese: 電波 (ja) (で​んぱ, denpa)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: signal n

  Nynorsk: signal n

• Portuguese: sinal (pt) m
• Romanian: semnal (ro) n
• Spanish: señal (es) f
• Swedish: signal (sv) c
• Turkish: sinyal (tr)
• Vietnamese: tín hiệu (vi)

action, change or process to convey information

• Esperanto: signalo (eo)
• Spanish: señal (es) f

foreshadowing

• Bulgarian: знак (bg) m (znak)
• Finnish: enne (fi), ennusmerkki (fi)
• Portuguese: sinal (pt) m

useful information as opposed to noise

• Bulgarian: сигна́л (bg) m (signál)
• Finnish: signaali (fi)
• Portuguese: sinal (pt) m

computing: simple interprocess communication

• Bulgarian: сигна́л (bg) m (signál)
• Finnish: signaali (fi)
• French: signal (fr)

See also

• tocsin

Verb

signal (third-person singular simple present signals, present participle (UK) signalling or (US) signaling, simple past and past participle (UK) signalled or (US) signaled)

1. (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.

2. (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

• missignal
• oversignal
• undersignal

Translations

to indicate

• Bulgarian: сигнализирам (bg) (signaliziram)
• Finnish: viestittää (fi), signaloida (fi), opastaa (fi)
• French: signaler (fr)
• German: signalisieren (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: σημειόω (sēmeióō)

• Hungarian: jelez (hu), jelt ad, jelöl (hu), indexel
• Italian: segnalare (it), indicare (it)
• Lithuanian: signalizuoti
• Maori: rota (by using hands), rotarota (by using hands), whakapua (with smoke), hū (with a call)
• Russian: сигнализи́ровать (ru) (signalizírovatʹ)
• Sicilian: sincalijari, sinnari, nnicari
• Spanish: señalar (es)

Adjective

signal (not comparable)

1. Standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement.

   a signal exploit; a signal service; 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

• eminent, noteworthy, significant; see also Thesaurus:important or Thesaurus:notable

Related terms

• signature (adjective)

Anagrams

• Saling, algins, aligns, lasing, liangs, lingas

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Danish

Etymology

From Medieval Latin signale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /siˈnæˀl/

Noun

signal n (singular definite signalet, plural indefinite signaler)

1. a signal

Declension

Declension of signal

neuter gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	signal	signalet	signaler	signalerne
genitive	signals	signalets	signalers	signalernes

References

• “signal” in Den Danske Ordbog

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French

Etymology

Re-latinization of Old French segnal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Late Latin signālis, from Latin signum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /si.ɲal/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

signal m (plural signaux)

1. signal

Derived terms

• écrevisse signal

Related terms

• signe

Descendants

• → Turkish: sinyal

Further reading

• “signal”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• lignas

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Medieval Latin signale.

Noun

signal n (definite singular signalet, indefinite plural signal or signaler, definite plural signala or signalene)

1. a signal

Derived terms

Terms derived from signal

• faresignal
• kallesignal

• nødsignal
• radiosignal

• stoppsignal

References

• “signal” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Medieval Latin signale.

Noun

signal n (definite singular signalet, indefinite plural signal, definite plural signala)

1. a signal

Derived terms

Terms derived from signal

• faresignal
• kallesignal

• nødsignal
• radiosignal

• stoppsignal

References

• “signal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Romanian

Etymology

From French signal.

Noun

signal n (plural signale)

1. signal

Declension

Declension of signal

	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

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Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From German Signal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Latin signum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sǐɡnaːl/
• Hyphenation: sig‧nal

Noun

sìgnāl m (Cyrillic spelling сѝгна̄л)

1. signal

Declension

Declension of signal

	singular	plural
nominative	sìgnāl	signali
genitive	signála	signala
dative	signalu	signalima
accusative	signal	signale
vocative	signale	signali
locative	signalu	signalima
instrumental	signalom	signalima

References

• “signal” in Hrvatski jezični portal

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Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

signal c

1. a signal

Declension

Declension of signal
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	signal	signalen	signaler	signalerna
Genitive	signals	signalens	signalers	signalernas

Anagrams

• inslag, ligans, singla, slinga

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Vilamovian

Etymology

From Old French segnal, seignal or Medieval Latin signāle, noun use of the neuter of Late Latin signālis, from Latin signum.

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

signal n (plural signale)

1. signal