signaturen.adj.
/ˈsɪɡnətʃə/, U.S. /ˈsɪɡnətʃər/, /ˈsɪɡnəˌtʃʊ(ə)r/ A. n.† 6.
1. Scots Law. A signed document which authorizes a person or organization to draw up a formal deed under an appropriate seal; spec. one prepared by a Writer to the Signet and presented to the Baron of Exchequer, outlining and specifying the provenance of a royal grant, charter, etc. Now historical.Signatures for the granting of charters were abolished in 1847.
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society > law > legal document > types of legal or official document > [noun] > writing prepared as ground of royal grant
signator1473
signature1488
signatory1659
1488–9 in Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1839) I. 109 Anent the complant maid..apon the secretare becaus he wald nocht..gif him preceptis apon a signature of the landis of Thanistoun Balmikedill..that nouther secretare priue sele nor grete sele ansuere to na sic signaturis [etc.].
1534 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1905) VI. 219 To pas with writingis and signaturis to be subscrivit be the Kingis grace.
1574 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1878) 1st Ser. II. 383 Ane signature anent the confirmatioun of ane charter grantit to hir.
a1646 T. Hope Minor Practicks (1726) 85 All Signatures of Prelacies, and great Benefices; and also all Signatures of the Officers of State, pass under the Great Seal only.
1690 Scot. Acts Parl. (1822) IX. 200/1 The signatures and Charters of all vassalls of Kirklands.
1765–8 J. Erskine Inst. Law Scotl. ii. v. §82 Before the union of the two crowns in 1603, all signatures passed under the King's own hand.
1797 R. Bell Syst. Forms of Deeds Scotl. I. 290 On producing these at the signet office, the precept is signeted, and the signature retained in the signet office as the warrant of the precept which has been signeted.
1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scotl. 916 Every Crown charter is preceded by a signature containing the principal clauses of the charter, and specifying the seal or seals through which it is to pass.
1867 A. M. Bell Lect. Conveyancing II. iv. 704 The officer with whom it was lodged was called the Presenter of Signatures; because it was his duty to present the signature to the Barons of Exchequer.
1985 Times 24 July 8/4 The Signature was superscribed by the royal sign manual.
2. Printing.
a. A sheet of paper folded, or to be folded, into leaves forming a book, as distinguished by the letter, number, or symbol (or combination of these) placed by the printer at the foot of the recto of its first leaf (see sense A. 2b). Also: a leaf marked with a particular signature.
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society > communication > printing > printed matter > [noun] > sheet or page of > as distinguished by signature
signature1547
1547 W. Baldwin Treat. Morall Phylos. Faultes Escaped sig. Rivv In the .xv. syde of the Signature. A. the .iii. line, reade. In the fowerth boke.
1712 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1898) IV. 37 I shall send you..the Signatures F, G, H, I, of Mr. Dodwell's Dissertation.
1785 W. Tooke in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eminent Literary Men (1843) (Camden) 430 As soon as such a number of books are perfected, the surplus of the various signatures are thrown aside for wrappers.
1849 Proposals Public Printing 13 in Documents Senate N.Y. 1849 I. No. 15 Paper for 100 copies of a signature of 8 pages, twenty-seven cents.
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Sewing-table, a table or bench at which signatures of books are sewed to the cords or bands by which they are fastened together, and also secured in the cover.
1901 D. Cockerell Bookbinding i. 34 The sheets of a newly printed book are arranged in piles in the printer's warehouse, each pile being made up of the same sheet or ‘signature’.
1965 Times Lit. Suppl. 14 Oct. 928/3 This word ‘signature’ is..often used when the user appears to mean either ‘leaf’ or ‘quire’.
2009 Mystic River Press (Connecticut) 1 Jan. b3/3 The guillotine or board shear she uses to trim signatures was manufactured a century ago in Mystic's Factory Square.
b. A letter, number, or symbol (or a combination of these), placed by the printer at the foot of the recto of the first leaf (and often on one or more of the succeeding leaves) of every sheet in a book, for the purpose of showing the order in which these are to be placed or bound. Abbreviated sig.
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society > communication > printing > printers' symbols and directions > [noun] > mark to show sequence of page or sheet
signature1656
1656 T. Blount Glossographia (at cited word) Among Printers the mark or letter they set at the bottom of every sheet printed, as A, B, C, &c. to tell their Quires by, and distinguish one sheet from another, is called the Signature.
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 218 If it be the First Page of the first Sheet of a Book the Signature is A.
1707 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1885) I. 339 The Signatures (there being no pages) are towards the top of the Leaf.
1710 T. Hearne Remarks & Coll. (1889) III. 47 The Signatures shew it to be 8vo.
1778 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry II. 15 (note) It is in quarto, with signatures to K k.
1824 J. Johnson Typographia II. 135 It is customary to begin the first sheet of every work with signature B, leaving A for the title sheet.
1864 Notes & Queries 3rd Ser. 6 266 Detached Sheet: 4to; signature, Dddddddd.
1895 Trans. Bibliogr. Soc. 2 ii. 112 It is usually said that the earliest instance in which printed signatures were employed was the Praeceptorium Divinae Legis of Johannes Nider, printed by Koelhoff at Cologne, in 1472.
1903 T. H. Darlow et al. Hist. Catal. Printed Ed. Holy Script. I. 24 Romans begins a new set of signatures in black-letter.
1946 E. Diehl Bookbinding i. vii. 167 The letters or numerals printed on the first page of a sheet..are called signatures.
1999 Stud. in Bibliogr. 52 241 The printed signatures had to be changed from the first two impressions.
3.
a. The action of signing one's name; authorization or authentication of a document, letter, etc., by signing it. Also: an instance of this.
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the mind > language > statement > ratification or confirmation > [noun] > putting one's signature to a document
signature1570
society > communication > indication > that which identifies or distinguishes > personal identification > signature > [noun] > signing
subscribing1444
subscriving1445
signing1450
subscription1492
signature1570
subsignation1573
assignment1598
side-scription1758
1570 in Coll. Malone Soc. (1908) I. ii. 151 This warrant was subscribid by the late L. Thresorer of England before it cam to her mates Signature.
1603 Ld. Ellesmere in J. P. Collier Egerton Papers (1840) 372 I have provisionally made a warrant redy for his Matyes signature.
1621 Ld. Kpr. Williams in Fortescue P. (Camden) 162 Some things wee must offer to the kings signature when the clarkes are not to bee found.
1662 Treat. & Alliance betw. King of France & States Gen. of Low-countries 22 The present treaty of Alliance as well, as of Commerce, Navigation and sea affairs, shall last twenty and five years, beginning from the day of the signature.
1750 R. Rolt Impartial Representation Conduct Powers Europe IV. x. ii. 557 His Britannic majesty and the States General, immediately after the signature of this convention, should send orders [etc.].
1795 S. Jones Hist. Poland 453 The diet was assailed with official notes from the Russian ambassador and the Prussian minister..pressing the signature of the treaty.
1806 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. VI. 51 He, therefore, did not mean the signature of the two first sheets as a signature of the whole will.
1872 E. Braddon Life in India vii. 284 The sherishtadar..placed the completed case before the judge for signature.
1940 Ann. Reg. 1939 182 The very slight détente..which had followed the signature of the Franco-German accord.
1977 Broadcast 13 June 7/2 There were..only ten days between the signature of the Report and its proofing and publication.
2006 Observer (Nexis) 30 July (Business section) 5 The US has concluded 12 bilateral agreements, there are six ready for signature and 11 others under negotiation.
b. A person's name written (esp. in a distinctive way) so as to authenticate a document, authorize a transaction, or identify oneself as the writer or sender of a letter. Also: a distinctive mark or cross serving this purpose.
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the mind > language > naming > name or appellation > [noun] > signature
hand1534
signature1579
superscriptionc1681
society > communication > indication > that which identifies or distinguishes > personal identification > signature > [noun]
sign manual1416
hand-writ1483
firm1574
signature1579
significature1625
subscripta1704
autograph1796
moniker1851
John Hancock1885
John Henry1914
1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin xiii. 736 The Pope passed a seuerall promisse to the king vnder his signature, neuer to demaunde of him any ayde or succours against the Duke of Ferrara.
a1634 E. Coke 2nd Pt. Inst. Lawes Eng. (1642) 556 A bill superscribed with the signature or signe manuall, or royall hand of the King.
1643 W. Prynne Soveraigne Power Parl. iv. 201 Underneath were the signatures of the Deputies..and underneath them, was written the agreation of the Councell of State.
1715 Compl. Hist. Treaty Utrecht II. 219 The Signature put to the aforesaid Writing is his own Signature.
1771 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) II. liv. 230 He asserts that he has traced me thro' a variety of signatures.
1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho III. iv. 85 To make a last effort to procure that signature, which would transfer her estates in Languedoc.
1829 R. Southey All for Love ix. 96 The fatal signature appear'd To all the multitude, Distinct as when the accursed pen Had traced it with fresh blood.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) ix. 77 I wish I had Miss MacWhirter's signature to a cheque for five thousand pounds.
1867 Earthen Vessel 1 Aug. 254/2 Our esteemed brother Cox would have cheerfully added his signature, but was prevented being at our meeting by age and infirmity.
1901 Daily News 2 Mar. 4/7 There are only seven signatures of Milton known, the first occurring in the Graduation Book of Cambridge, 1628–9.
1964 E. Baker Fine Madness xix. 233 Her nose descended alongside the pen and she carefully wrote a square, legible signature.
2007 New Yorker 15 Jan. 62/3 He asked me to write my signature, then copied it so accurately that he could forge my checks.
c. Computing. A block of text (or text and images) which may be automatically appended to the end of an electronic message, such as an email, and contains the sender's name and contact details, or other information; a file containing this. Recorded earliest in signature file n. (b) at Compounds 2.
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1991 A. Kent Encycl. Libr. & Information Sci. XLIX. 88 (list) Check the size of your mailbox,..see who your new mail is from,..edit your signature file, [etc.].
1994 Network World 10 Oct. 24/2 Internet users are publicly attaching their personal PGP key identification to E-mail signatures throughout newsgroups and on E-mail.
1999 T. O'Reilly et al. Windows 98 in Nutshell vi. 252 The signature will be automatically attached to all of your outgoing messages.
2001 B. Ross & T. Lockwood Pathways to Publ. 230 Look at the Tools section of your email program to set up that important signature.
2010 Digital Inspiration (Nexis) 16 Dec. Whether you want to manage multiple Gmail inboxes or need a stunning signature for your outgoing email messages, add-ons will have you covered.
4. † b. The action of stamping or impressing. Obsolete. rare.
a. A stamp, an imprint, an impression. Chiefly figurative.
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society > communication > indication > marking > imprinting > [noun] > imprint
impression1398
imprint1483
signature1582
impress1606
impressurea1616
stampa1652
handstamp1676
imprimature1768
imprimatur1970
1582 T. Bentley et al. Monument of Matrones iv. 415 We..[are] endued also with reason, and delight in knowledge, as a signature and impression of the diuine Maiestie.
1649 Bp. J. Taylor Great Exemplar iii. §9 So does meditation produce those impresses and signatures which are the proper effects of the mystery.
1697 G. Burghope Disc. Relig. Assemblies 71 It wou'd..dissolve the..foot-steps and signatures of the Deity on our souls.
1725 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey I. iv. 76 Vulgar parents cannot stamp their race With signatures of such majestic grace.
1781 W. Cowper Retirem. 54 To trace, in nature's most minute design, The signature and stamp of pow'r divine.
1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante Vision III. vii. 105 Goodness celestial, whose broad signature Is on the universe.
1849 J. Ruskin Seven Lamps Archit. iii. 71 See by how many artifices..time and storm will set their wild signatures upon it.
1871 J. R. Macduff Memories of Patmos 142 The martyrs of the Roman catacombs, who have left the significant signature of their sufferings on vases and monumental tablets.
1922 Survey 27 May 363/2 Each [sc. home, school, church, etc.] has left a signature of failure on the young person who must be remade.
2005 L. Allen Global Econ. Syst. ii. 22 Not until the 1930s did the United States undergo a wave of deflation that stamped an unmistakable signature on laws governing the economic playing field.
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society > communication > indication > marking > imprinting > [noun]
printinga1398
imprintingc1440
impression1444
characterizing1591
signature1605
impress1606
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning ii. sig. Tt4v There is impressed vppon all things..a third [desire] of Multiplying and extending their fourme vpon other things: whereof the multiplying or signature of it vpon other things, is that which we handled by the name of Actiue good. View more context for this quotation
5. † c. Entomology. A marking on the body of an insect that resembles a letter or character. Cf. signate adj. 3a. Obsolete.
a. A distinguishing mark; an identifying feature.
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society > communication > indication > marking > marking to identify > mark of identification > [noun]
marklOE
signc1300
charactc1384
signaclec1384
badge1526
earmark1551
character1597
signature1605
stampa1616
designation1646
signation1646
insignition1660
signate1662
ear tag1876
ken-mark1885
laundry mark1924
pink triangle1950
sigillum1966
1605 F. Bacon Of Aduancem. Learning i. sig. A4 Some solide worke, fixed memoriall, and immortall monument, bearing a Character or signature, both of the power of a king, and the difference and perfection of such a king. View more context for this quotation
a1626 L. Andrewes Serm. (1856) I. 12 The Saviour..taking on Him ‘Abraham's seed’ must withal take on Him the signature of Abraham's seed, and be..circumcised.
1660 R. Allestree Gentlemans Calling 35 It is become..the badge and signature of a modern Wit, thus to be one of David's fooles, in saying there is no God.
1775 J. Harris Philos. Arrangem. viii. 167 'Tis a kind of universal Signature, by which Nature makes known to us the several Species of her Productions.
1850 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1856) 2nd Ser. 89 The capacity of ennui is one of the signatures of man's immortality.
1971 Daily Tel. 22 Jan. 13/2 Signature of his collection: the V-necked pullover on every outfit.
2006 Wired Nov. 88/4 Borat's signature is his mustache.
b. An aspect of the appearance of a plant, animal, or mineral (such as its shape, markings, or colour) believed to be an indicator of its medicinal or other useful properties. Now historical, esp. in doctrine of signatures.
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the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > marks > [noun] > distinctive mark
signature1614
signation1646
1614 S. Purchas Pilgrimage (ed. 2) v. xii. 505 Some also pretending themselues Natures Principall Secretaries, haue found out in these and the like..Signatures of Natures owne impression,fitted to their seuerall and speciall vses in Physicke.
1653 H. More Antidote against Atheisme ii. vi. 67 Wall nuts beare the whole signature of the head. The outward green Cortex answers to the Pericranium, and a salt made of it is singularly good for wounds in that part, as the kernell is good for the brains which it resembles.
1695 J. Collier Misc. upon Moral Subj. 120 Whether Men, as they say of Plants, have Signatures to discover their Natures by, is hard to determine.
1748 tr. S. Werenfels Diss. Superstition 21 There are some that think those Herbs the fittest for curing those Parts of a Man's Body, to which they bear some Sort of Resemblance, commonly called a Signature.
1804 ‘Ignotus’ Culina 201 It is probable that the golden colour of the fish..induced the ignorant to suppose, that it was given by Providence as a signature to point out its medicinal quality.
1858 E. Lankester & W. B. Carpenter Veg. Physiol. (new ed.) §756 In former times such resemblances were greatly attended to by physicians, who termed them ‘signatures’.
1912 A. Arber Herbals viii. 210 The signature in some cases represents an animal injurious to man, and is taken to denote that the plant in question will cure its bites or stings.
1971 K. Thomas Relig. & Decline of Magic vii. 190 Even in this period there were still many believers in the doctrine of signatures, according to which every herb was stamped with a more or less clear sign of its uses; so that, for example, a yellow blossom indicated a likely cure for jaundice.
2000 Daily Tel. 9 May 18/7 The idea is that for every part of the human body there is a corresponding part in the natural world... Of course, we don't believe in the Doctrine of Signatures any more.
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1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. xlvi. 286 Signatures.., markings upon a surface resembling in some degree letters and characters.
1890 Cent. Dict. Signature, in entom., a mark resembling a letter; one of the marks of a signate surface.
1902 Jrnl. N.Y. Entomol. Soc. 10 22 Occipital margin slightly concave; clypeal signature shield-shaped, constricted slightly anteriorly.
d. Any typical physical or behavioural characteristic, pattern, or response by which an object, substance, etc., may be identified.
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society > communication > indication > that which identifies or distinguishes > [noun]
tokenc1000
distinctionc1374
differencea1398
signeta1425
knowledge?c1475
smell?a1505
markc1522
badge1529
note1583
impress1590
monument1590
type1595
stamp1600
pressure1604
mintage1612
criterion1613
impressa1628
differencer1633
lineament1638
mole1644
discrimination1646
tessera1647
diagnostic1651
monumental1657
discretive1660
signate1662
footmark1666
trait1752
memorandum1766
fingerprint1792
insignia1796
identifier1807
designative1824
cachet1840
differentiator1854
tanga1867
trademark1869
signature1873
totem1875
differential1883
earmarkings1888
paw print1894
discriminator1943
ident1952
1873 J. L. Smith Mineral. & Chem. 291 There will be no difficulty in tracing the same signature on them all, indorsing the above as their true character, and almost serving to tell us whence they came.
1940 R. Morrish Police & Crime-detection xii. 114 All these marks, however minute in themselves, form the specific ‘signature’ or identity of any fire-arm.
1960 Jrnl. Histochem. & Cytochem. 8 288/1 Failure to demonstrate striking differences in ‘pH signature’ between analogous components of normal and carcinoma cells did not particularly surprise us.
1969 New Scientist 2 Oct. 21/2 The Concorde's signature from a given height will be less ponderous than that of the Boeing.
1977 A. Hallam Planet Earth 41/3 Its magnetic signature allowed an age to be assigned to each piece of ocean floor.
1998 Brit. Med. Jrnl. 19 Dec. 1698/2 A polypharmacy..exploits the specific interactions and balances that constitute a neurochemical signature for any one particular brain region.
2009 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) May 27/3 Mars and Earth, too, appear to have suffered hydrodynamic losses. The telltale signature is a deficit of lighter isotopes.
e. = signature tune n. at Compounds 2.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > type of piece > [noun] > theme tune
theme song1929
signature1932
signature tune1932
theme music1957
1932 Daily Mail 4 Mar. 11/4 B.B.C. Band's ‘Signature’. ‘Just the Time for Dancing’ and ‘Till Next Time’ are the titles of the ‘signature’ tunes selected by Mr. Henry Hall for his new B.B.C. Dance Band.
1962 A. Nisbett Technique Sound Studio ix. 160 It is not so common for the start of a record to provide a good crisp opening signature.
1998 M. Waites Little Triggers (1999) iv. 31 The machine played its obligatory, annoying signature and the screen flashed up: Game Over.
a. An image; a figure; an artistic representation. Obsolete.In quot. 1618: an epitome, a symbol.
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society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > representation in art > [noun] > an artistic representation
ylikenesseOE
likenessOE
anlikenessOE
ylikeOE
imagec1300
acornc1388
portraiturea1393
resemblancea1393
semblanta1400
counterfeitc1400
shapec1400
statuec1405
representation1477
presentationa1513
presentment1535
effigy1539
porture1542
express1553
effigium1564
representance1565
designment1570
icon1572
mimesisa1586
effigies1615
expressurea1616
represent1615
signature1618
proportion1678
representative1766
rendering1825
buggerlugs1839
effigiation1876
1618 Owles Almanacke (new ed.) 22 I [sc. a goat] am become the odious signature and embleme of vnchastity.
1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus iii, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 142 The Bryar..maintains itt [sic] pentagonall figure, and the unobserved signature of a handsome porch within it.
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis iii. i. i. 259 A Stone with the Signature of a Button-Fish upon it.
1782 J. Priestley Hist. Corruptions Christianity II. viii. 108 They added the signature of the cross.
1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. xlvi. 286 Signatures,..markings upon a surface resembling in some degree letters and characters.]
b. A birthmark. Obsolete.
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the world > health and disease > ill health > blemish > [noun] > spot or mark > birth-mark
birthmark1579
longing mark1644
native note1658
signature1659
naevus1684
mother spot1690
naevus maternus1726
mother's mark1797
mother mark1822
strawberry-mark1847
birth stain1850
port wine mark1853
spider cancer1898
spider-naevus1898
spider1942
spider angioma1956
1659 H. More Immortality of Soul iii. vii. 402 A man that came to him..to have his opinion what a certain strange Signature, which he had on his Arm from his birth, might portend.
1667 J. Glanvill Philos. Considerations Witches 16 The fancie of the Mother can [form] the stubborn matter of the Fœtus in the womb, as we see it frequently doth in the instances that occur of Signatures and monstrous Singularities.
7. Music. A sign, or set of signs, indicating the key or metre of a piece of music (or part thereof), and initially placed immediately after the clef.The key of a composition is indicated by a combination of sharps or flats, the metre usually by a set of two figures one above the other. Cf. key signature n. at key n.1 and adj. Compounds 3, time signature n.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > notation > [noun] > signature
signature1721
key signature1843
time signature1843
1721 A. Malcolm Treat. Musick xi. 350 The Signature ought to be adjusted to the principal Key.
1796 A. F. C. Kollmann Ess. Musical Harmony xi. 74 Its signature is 3/ 8, and its movement is quite light.
1806 J. W. Callcott Musical Gram. ii. iv. 126 All the Signatures beyond six may be expressed by a smaller number by changing the name of the Tonic.
1839 Penny Cycl. XIII. 206/2 There are in name thirty different keys, and as many signatures are in actual use.
1876 J. Stainer & W. A. Barrett Dict. Musical Terms 396/2 There are two kinds of signature, the time-signature and the key-signature.
1917 Atlantic Educ. Jrnl. 128 A note which is not altered by the signature is raised..by an accidental sharp sign and lowered by an accidental flat sign.
1963 R. Donington Interpr. Early Music iv. 67 D minor, which we notate with a signature of one flat, grew out of the Dorian mode.
1997 C. F. Hasty Meter as Rhythm ix. 129/2 Modern signatures explicitly indicate one pulse level—the ‘conductor's beat’.
8. Medicine. The part of a prescription that gives the wording for the label of a medicine, spec. the directions for its use by the patient. Cf. Sig. int.
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the world > health and disease > healing > pharmacy > [noun] > prescription or recipe > part of prescription
subscription1741
superscription1741
signature1856
1856 E. Parrish Introd. Pract. Pharmacy v. ii. 418 The prescription may be divided, for the purpose of study, into the following parts..: 1. The superscription. 2. The inscription. 3. The subscription. 4. The signature.
1901 T. Sollmann Text-bk. Pharmacol. vi. 105 The directions to the patient (signature) are always written in English, so that the patient can read them.
2004 D. J. Phinney & J. H. Halstead Dental Assisting (ed. 2) xii. 220 (caption) The signature (Sig) that gives the directions for the patient.
B. adj. (attributive).
Designating a distinctive technique, attribute, product, etc., which is identified or associated with a particular person or thing. Cf. sense A. 5.Recorded earliest in signature song n. at Compounds 2.See also signature tune n. at Compounds 2.
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1929 Washington Post 10 Feb. a5 Perkins had a little signature song that he used before and after his pianologue.
1930 Kingsport (Tennessee) Times 18 Sept. 4/6 Who wrote the signature piece for Amos and Andy?
1940 Observer 14 Jan. 14/7 Milner-Barry's favourite—a signature move.
1948 Punch 14 Apr. 320/1 The Opposition speedily recognized it as the signature drink, so to say, of Sir Stafford Cripps, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
1958 Art Internat. 2 25 Baziotes, who was considered in the front ranks of New York painting in the forties, established a signature style in which he deployed an evocative private bestiary against soft, luminous grounds.
1966 J. Oliansky Shame, Shame on Johnson Boys ix. 180 Our main problem right now is that we don't have a signature sound, something distinctive about us which would carry over from one type of music to another.
1969 Star-News (Pasadena, Calif.) 6 Aug. 10/4 Gres reverts to her original signature technique, the sculptured draping of chiffon in bodices and bra effects.
1978 Atlantic Monthly Aug. 44/1 The signature building of the Harvard Yard was the Widener Library, its gray façade and pillars dominating all the open inner space.
1988 J. Hunter & A. Keteyian Catfish iv. 55 Satch and his signature ‘hesitation’ pitch stood the Red Sox on their ears.
1991 N.Y. Mag. 15 July 39/1 The Hard Rock without its signature hamburger would be unthinkable.
2001 B. Geddes World Food: Caribbean 139 One of Trinidad & Tobago's signature dishes is the African-influenced callalloo, a thick green soup made with okra, onions, spices and the leaves of the dasheen plant.
2010 Wall St. Jrnl. 13 Apr. a2/3 Mr. Obama..made efforts to secure ‘loose nukes’ one of his signature issues while in the Senate.
Compounds
C1. General attributive, in sense A. 2b.
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1810 Printers' Assistant 19 Heads and directions, or signature lines, included.
1888 C. T. Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 125 Signature page, the first page of a sheet, on which the signature appears.
1896 T. L. De Vinne in Moxon's Mech. Exerc. (new ed.) I. p. xviii The old signature marks that would confuse the bookbinder.
1927 Observer 18 Dec. 4 Thus is appraised the evidential value..of any variety of foliation; signature-numbering; cancel-page or phrase [etc.].
1946 E. Diehl Bookbinding II. v. 61 It is necessary to..place them [sc. unfolded sheets] in their respective order according to the page numbers or signature letters or numbers.
2000 Taxon 49 853 The two versions are virtually identical, right down to the page-bottom signature markings.
C2.
signature book n. Banking a book containing sample signatures of account holders, used to authenticate a signature on a cheque or other document; cf. signature file n. (a).
ΚΠ
1809 View of Hist., Politics, & Lit. for 1807 491/1 He opened the account in the name of Browne, and signed the name of Browne in the signature book.
1922 F. E. McGill Office Pract. & Business Procedure 196 A signature book is cumbersome to handle at the bank window.
2010 Intelligence Jrnl. (Lancaster, Pa.) (Nexis) 5 Aug. a1 The collection also includes bank notes, checks, stocks and a signature book used to prevent forgeries.
signature block n. (a) originally Printing a block of text, illustrations, etc., used to represent a company, organization, or person, esp. as printed at the bottom of an advertisement or letter; a printing block engraved with text of this sort; (in later use also) Computing = sense A. 3c; (b) a blank space at the end of a document, contract, etc., in which a person may sign his or her name.
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1920 Printers' Ink 26 Aug. 93/1 The Crescent store..accidentally omitted the signature block from a page advertisement.
1922 P. E. Wilson Mail Order Organization xi. 105 Frequently, these letters are actually signed in pen and ink; but, if the mailing is upon too large a scale to permit of this being done, signature blocks are now employed.
1983 D. M. Gilford et al. Family Assistance & Poverty App. i. 62 Form B also contained a signature block for respondents to give permission for access to school records.
1988 InfoWorld 29 Feb. 49/3 In a few keystrokes you can set up a letter including a date, signature block, and name and address plucked from the cardfile.
1999 B. M. Jacobs Independent Video Producer vi. 157 Said approval shall be in writing with a signature block for client on the front page of the final script.
2010 TUAW (Nexis) 16 Oct. I was leafing through some emails this afternoon and came upon one with an extremely attractive signature block.
signature campaign n. a campaign to collect signatures for a petition, appeal, etc.
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1915 Winnipeg Free Press 5 June 2/2 The women are getting ready to start on a signature campaign.
2004 China Jrnl. (Austral. National Univ.) No. 51. 123 A mass signature campaign brought him to office.
signature card n. Banking a card bearing a sample signature of an account holder, used to authenticate a signature on a cheque or other document; cf. signature file n. (a).
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1890 Lend Hand Sept. 632 Signature cards are filed in numerical order for identification in case of withdrawal.
1940 Univ. Chicago Law Rev. 7 508 (note) He is not even satisfied with a bank guaranty and requires in addition the registered owner's signature card from a bank—so as to be able to compare signatures himself.
2010 Daily Mail (Nexis) 24 Nov. The bank has lost your signature card, which it uses to match any signatures on a cheque with its records.
signature drive n. = signature campaign n.
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1918 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 16 Feb. 6/4 (heading) Dry signature drive to begin early in week... The drive to secure signatures to the petition for a special election in April will begin next week.
2003 World Today 59 26/2 The Council rejected the petition, forcing the opposition to begin the signature drive for a second time and further delaying the referendum.
signature file n. (a) Banking a file containing sample signatures of account holders, used to authenticate a signature on a cheque or other document; cf. signature book n.; (b) Computing a file containing a user's signature (sense A. 3c).
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1912 Banker's Mag. Feb. 84 The signature file is in a revolving cabinet, located between the two paying tellers' cages and working space.
1991Signature file [see sense A. 3c]. 1993 Amer. Banker (Nexis) 6 July A teller can access a central signature file and have any signature printed on the bank's fax machine automatically.
2010 Computeractive (Nexis) 9 Dec. Click on the dropdown box above the Open button and select ‘ html files’, then locate the signature file saved in Step 3 and highlight it.
signature guarantee n. an authentication of a signature by a bank or other financial institution, esp. in the form of a stamp or certificate, which is often required when stocks, bonds and other registered securities are transferred from one party to another.
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1920 Trust Companies May 449/1 Significance of signature guarantee... When a Stock Exchange house guarantees the signature to a power of attorney transferring stock, they guarantee the validity of the transaction.
1955 Michigan Law Rev. 53 722 In practice, transfer agents..rely largely on a certification by a bank or on the signature guarantee.
2010 Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.) (Nexis) 20 Nov. Examination of one area bank's updated list of fees reveals nearly 20 examples of higher fees for..money orders, stop-payment orders, signature guarantees, safe-deposit boxes, and so on.
signature number n. = sense A. 2b.
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1888 J. C. Pilling Bibliogr. Iroquoian Langs. 26/1 Aiii, the fourth with no signature number.
1987 Representations 17 92 I will cite..both the page number on which the translation appears and the corresponding signature number of Harvey's MS.
2009 B. R. Smith Key of Green Notes 287 Further quotations are cited in the text by signature number.
signature song n. a song associated with a particular performer.
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1929Signature song [see sense B.].
1943 Billboard 31 July 92/3 It [sc. Lilli Marlene] was used as a signature song by an obscure Swedish night club singer.
2005 M. O'Connor Bitch Posse iv. 28 It's my signature song, ‘There are Worse Things I Could Do’.
signature tune n. a distinctive piece of music associated with a particular programme, performer, etc., esp. used to introduce or conclude a broadcast; also in extended use.
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society > leisure > the arts > music > piece of music > type of piece > [noun] > theme tune
theme song1929
signature1932
signature tune1932
theme music1957
1932 Daily Mail 4 Mar. 11/4 ‘Just the Time for Dancing’ and ‘Till Next Time’ are the titles of the ‘signature’ tunes selected by Mr. Henry Hall for his new B.B.C. Dance Band.
1938 O. Sitwell Those were Days iv. iii. 462 Diminutive moonstones and giant chrysanthemums were her signature-tune, her speciality almost, you might say, what she lived for.
1958 P. Gammond Duke Ellington ii. 72 The Duke and Bubber wrote East St Louis toodle-oo..and this became..the band's signature tune.
1994 H. Holland Born in Soweto ii. 33 The credits roll on to the screen and the familiar signature tune plays out.
Derivatives
ˈsignatureless adj. having no signature, unsigned; without or unaccompanied by signatures.
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the mind > language > naming > anonymity or lack of a name > [adjective] > not signed
unsigned1598
unsuperscribeda1711
unsignatured1807
signatureless1830
society > communication > indication > that which identifies or distinguishes > personal identification > signature > [adjective] > not
unsigned1598
signatureless1830
1830 E. Bulwer-Lytton Paul Clifford II. xi. 309 Thus (abrupt and signatureless) ended the expected letter.
1892 Athenæum 18 June 790/2 In the volume called ‘Love's Looking Glass’ the poems are ranged signatureless.
2003 Express (Nexis) 3 Oct. 73 Signatureless credit and debit cards are on the way.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
signaturev.
/ˈsɪɡnətʃə/, U.S. /ˈsɪɡnətʃər/, /ˈsɪɡnəˌtʃʊ(ə)r/ΘΚΠ
society > communication > indication > designation > designate [verb (transitive)]
seala1225
designa1398
representa1645
sign1654
ticket1654
designate1677
signature1740
1653 R. Saunders Physiognomie Pref. sig. B Plants which signature the Secrets, have a secret specifique vertue against sterility.
1740 G. Cheyne Ess. Regimen p. xxx Those who..have been signatur'd to intellectual Professions.
1740 G. Cheyne Ess. Regimen p. liv Water being signatur'd, by its greatest Fluidity and Insipidity, for carrying alimentary particles..through all the strait meanders of animal Life.
1778 W. Cookworthy & T. Hartley tr. E. Swedenborg Treat. Heaven & Hell 335 What they have delivered appears legibly and in full light signatured upon their faces.
2. transitive. Printing. To put a signature on (a sheet or leaf); to add signatures to (a book).
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society > communication > printing > preparatory processes > composing > compose [verb (transitive)] > put signature on sheet
signature1764
1764 R. Douglas Peerage Scotl. p. xiii The first Leaf cancelled is E, which accordingly is signatured [E].
1821 D. Price Chronol. Retrospect Mahomedan Hist. III. Errata p. v Accordingly, a centre sheet, that signatured 3 Q, has been cancelled.
1877 Amer. Libr. Jrnl. 1 168 The method of signaturing a book is almost invariably decided by the printer.
1945 G. P. Winship Cambr. Press 1638–1692 xiii. 307 The first sheet..is signatured after the title, A 2, A 4, A 3 (first page of text), followed by four leaves reading correctly.
1997 B. G. Armstrong Bibliographia Molinæi 410 This is paginated & signatured with Veritable Narré.
3. transitive. To put one's signature to (a document, letter, etc.); to authenticate, confirm, or acknowledge authorship of (a piece of writing, a contract, etc.) by one's signature.
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the mind > language > statement > ratification or confirmation > confirm or ratify [verb (transitive)] > by signing one's name
subscribe1415
sign1579
underwrite1609
signature1766
society > communication > indication > that which identifies or distinguishes > personal identification > signature > sign (a document) [verb (transitive)]
sign1442
assign1563
underwrite1569
subsign1572
undersign1580
paragraph1601
style1619
side-sign1708
signature1766
re-sign1805
autographize1822
autograph1833
1766 G. S. Carey Inoculator 31 Shall it be less welcome 'cause it came Signatur'd by one beneath th'Heed of fame?
1781 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry III. xl. 418 (note) In our singing-psalms, the psalms 70, 104, 122, 125, 134, are signatured with W. K. or William Kethe.
1802 Gentleman's Mag. Jan. 8 The additional pieces by other gentlemen, printed after those of ‘renowned Shakespeare,’ are thus intituled and signatured.
1895 Critic (N.Y.) 13 July 21 Popular poetry, on the other hand, is signed and signatured.
1909 Eng. Rev. Mar. 636 The meaning..was that he should ‘signature’ the ugly thing.
2006 Santa Fe New Mexican (Nexis) 22 Feb. b3 Kluk recently signed a national letter-of-intent to play soccer for the next four seasons at Fort Lewis College... It wasn't only proximity that had Kluk signaturing the blank line.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.adj.1488
v.1653