Signify: what is the meaning?

Thinkings and poems 1 Minute
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signify
ˈsɪɡnɪfʌɪ/
verb
verb: signify; 3rd person present: signifies; past tense: signified; past participle: signified; gerund or present participle: signifying
  1. 1.
    be an indication of.
    “this decision signified a fundamental change in their priorities”
    synonyms: be evidence of, be a sign of, mark, signal, mean, spell, add up to, amount to, denote, be symptomatic of, be a symptom of, reveal, manifest, designate; More
    • be a symbol of; have as meaning.
      “the church used this image to signify the Holy Trinity”
      synonyms: mean, denote, designate, represent, symbolise, stand for, correspond to, be equivalent to, imply;

      literary betoken
      “the symbol of an egg signifies life”
    • (of a person) indicate or declare (a feeling or intention).
      “signify your agreement by signing the letter below”
      synonyms: express, indicate, show, communicate, intimate; More
      antonyms: withhold, keep secret
    • be of importance.
      “the locked door doesn’t necessarily signify”
      synonyms: mean anything/something, be of importance, be of consequence, be important, be significant, be of significance, carry weight, be of account, count, matter, be relevant;

      informal cut any ice
      “the locked door doesn’t necessarily signify”
  2. 2.
    US informal
    (among black Americans) exchange boasts or insults as a game or ritual.
    “I wasn’t signifying at her”
Origin
Middle English: from Old French signifier, from Latin significare ‘indicate, portend’, from signum ‘token’.
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Published by Katherine

Poetry writer and author

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