Etymologically
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signer

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /si.ɲe/[1]

Forms

signer[1] Old French seignier, seigner, sener, signier from about 1230.[2][3] Into the 17th century it was pronounced siner.[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old French seignier, remade after signe, inherited from Latin signō (“to mark with a sign; to seal; to designate”), from signum (“sign, mark”).[5][2][3][6][1][7] Rabelais (1534) still wrote “se seigner” for crossing oneself.[5][3]

Compare Italian segnare and Old Occitan senhar.[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) seignier is to make the sign of the cross over someone: De sa main destre l'ad asols e seignet “with his right hand he absolved him and blessed him with the sign of the cross”.[5][2][4]

Semantic evolution

In Old French it also meant to marvel and to swear, both accompanied by the sign of the cross, and, after Latin, to mark with a sign (first half of the 12th century), from which came stamping measures (1265) and silver plate (1363), sealing a letter (about 1328) and, until the 17th century, making a sign to someone.[5][2]

The modern sense “to put one's signature to” appears with the participle signé in 1521 and the verb in Robert Estienne (1538), probably drawn from signature (1430); prêt à signer de son sang is in Nicot (1606).[5][2][3] An artist's signing of a work is recorded in Marat (1789), and se signer “to cross oneself” in Cotgrave (1611).[5]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Seignier “to bless with the sign of the cross”, Chanson de Roland.[5]
  • c. 1230 – Signier de l'oiel “to wink”.[5]
  • 1363 – To stamp silver plate.[5]
  • 1521 – Signé “bearing a signature”.[5]
  • 1538 – “To sign”, Robert Estienne.[5]
  • 1611 – Se signer, Cotgrave.[5]
  • 1789 – To sign a work, Marat.[5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To sign, put one's signature to: signer une lettre, un chèque, un contrat.[8][1]
  2. To sign (a work) as its author, c'est signé, it bears the person's stamp.[8][5]
  3. Se signer: to cross oneself.[8][1]
  4. (technical) To mark with a stamp: signer des pièces d'orfèvrerie.[8]
  5. To communicate in sign language.[1]

Word family

  • signataire
  • signature
  • contresigner
  • soussigner

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  4. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  6. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 601a
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert