Etymologically
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signifier

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 12:48. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /si.ɲi.fje/[1]
  • IPA: /si.ni.fje/[1]

Forms

signifier[1] Old French senefier (1080), a more popular form, then signefier (1119) and signifier (about 1190).[2][3][4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin significō (“to show by signs; to make known; to portend; to mean”),[3][2][5][4][6][1] formed from signum (“mark, sign”) (see signe) and faciō (“to make”).[3][2][7] Rey says the successive forms are inherited from or borrowed from the Latin verb;[2][1] Wiktionary calls the Old French form a semi-learned borrowing.[2][1]

Compare Old Occitan signifiar, Spanish significar and Italian significare.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Chanson de Roland (about 1100) has Ce senefiet pais e humiliteit, “this signifies peace and humility”: to be the sign of.[3][8]

Semantic evolution

From 1119 it was used of a sign of language, a word or phrase; from Rabelais (1546) it means more precisely “to have as its sense” of a word.[2][3] In classical French signifier quelqu'un could mean “to designate by a name” (early 17th century).[2] Cela ne signifie rien (1681) and qu'est-ce que cela signifie ? (Caraccioli, 1759) express displeasure.[2][3]

From the 12th century it also meant “to make known” (Wace, about 1145), and specifically “to notify in express words” (about 1175), whence “to summon” (1386), now lost, and “to serve notice legally” (Monet, 1636).[3][2] Old French also took the Latin sense “to portend” (about 1175) and “to suppose” (1223), both lost.[2] From it came signifiance (about 1155), and, from its participle signifiant (1553), insignifiant (1778).[2][5]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – Senefier, Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • 1119 – Signefier, Philippe de Thaon.[3]
  • c. 1145 – “To make known”, Wace.[3]
  • 1160–74 – Signifier, Wace.[3]
  • 1546 – Of a word, “to mean”, Rabelais.[3]
  • 1636 – “To serve notice”, Monet.[3]
  • 1759 – Qu'est-ce que cela signifie ?[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. Of a word or sign: to mean, signify: que signifie ce symbole ?[9][1]
  2. Of a thing or fact: to be a sign of, imply: cela ne signifie rien, qu'est-ce que cela signifie ?, expressing displeasure.[9][2]
  3. To make known, express.[3][9]
  4. (law) To notify, serve notice of.[3][7]

Word family

  • signifiant
  • signifiance
  • insignifiant
  • signe
  • signification
  • significatif

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p 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
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 11, 603b
  7. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert