signifyv.

Brit.

/ˈsɪɡnᵻfʌɪ/, U.S.

/ˈsɪɡnəˌfaɪ/

Forms: Middle English senfye, Middle English signefe, Middle English signefyȝe, Middle English signifi, Middle English singnefie, Middle English sinifijt (3rd singular present indicative), Middle English sinyfied (3rd singular present indicative), Middle English sygnyffye, Middle English sygnyffyie, Middle English syngnyfyth (3rd singular present indicative), Middle English synified (past tense), Middle English–1500s signifye, Middle English–1500s signyfie, Middle English–1500s signyfye, Middle English (in a late copy)–1500s sinifieth (3rd singular present indicative), Middle English–1500s sygnefye, Middle English–1500s sygnifie, Middle English–1500s sygnifye, Middle English–1500s sygnyfie, Middle English–1500s sygnyfye, Middle English–1600s signefie, Middle English–1600s signefy, Middle English–1600s signefye, Middle English–1600s singnifie, Middle English–1700s signifie, Middle English– signify, late Middle English gignyfy (transmission error), 1500s seignyfye, 1500s sygnefie, 1500s sygnefy, 1500s sygnify, 1500s sygnyfy, 1500s sygnyfyed (past tense and past participle), 1500s syngnifie, 1500s syngnyfie, 1500s syngnyfy, 1500s syngnyfye, 1600s signiefie (Irish English), 1600s singnify, 1600s sinifie, 1600s–1700s sinify; Scottish pre-1700 segnify, pre-1700 signefe, pre-1700 signefie, pre-1700 signefy, pre-1700 signiefie, pre-1700 signife, pre-1700 signifie, pre-1700 signifye, pre-1700 signyfe, pre-1700 signyfie, pre-1700 signyfy, pre-1700 singneffye, pre-1700 singnife, pre-1700 singnifices (3rd singular present indicative), pre-1700 singnifie, pre-1700 sygnyfis (3rd singular present indicative), pre-1700 sygnyfy, pre-1700 1700s– signify, 1800s signafee (Shetland).

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French signifier; Latin significāre.

Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman senifier, singnefier, singnifier, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French senefier, signefier, signifier (French signifier ) to mean, denote (c1100 of an object, c1377 of a word), to make known, announce, declare (something) (c1145), to presage, portend, prefigure (an event) (second half of the 12th cent. as senechier ), to function as a sign or symbol (c1175), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin significāre to indicate, to make signs, to show, demonstrate, to make known, to suggest, to mention, refer to, to convey, mean, to denote, express, to foreshow < signum sign n. + -ficāre -fy suffix. Compare Old Occitan significar (c1300 or earlier), signifiar (14th cent.), Catalan significar (12th cent.), Spanish significar (first half of the 13th cent.), Portuguese significar (14th cent.), Italian significare (12th cent.). The use in sense 5 is not paralleled in French until later (1671 in ne signifier rien; chiefly in negative contexts).

a. transitive. Of an object, event, etc.: to be a sign or symbol of, to symbolize; to represent, denote, mean.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > indication > [verb (transitive)]

tokenc888

sayOE

tellc1175

note?c1225

signifyc1275

notifyc1390

signc1390

ossc1400

testify1445

point1477

betoken1486

indike?1541

demonstrate1558

to give show of1567

argue1585

portend1590

speak1594

denotate1597

denote1597

evidence1610

instance1616

bespeak1629

resent1638

indict1653

notificate1653

indicate1706

exhibit1799

to body forth1821

signalize1825

to speak for ——1832

index1862

signal1866

c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 215 Þet Gold þet is bricht..signefieth þe gode beleaue þet is bricht ine þe gode cristenemannes herte.

a1450 (?1419–20) Friar Daw's Reply (Digby) l. 195 in P. L. Heyworth Jack Upland (1968) 79 Foure angels singnefien foure general synnes.

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 886 The two knyghtes, signyfyeth the two dedly synnes.

a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) Prol. 4 Þis boke is distyngid in thris fyfty psalmes, in þe whilk thre statis of cristin mannys religion is sygnifyd.

1521 tr. C. de Pisan Body of Polycye i. xx. sig. e.v In the one hande she helde a braunche of Olyfe and in y^e other honde she helde a naked sworde, whiche sygnyfyed that in lordshyp ought to be benygnyte and mercy, & also Iustyce, and myght.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. lxv^v This signifieth my body.

1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lviii. 129 The secret grace which they [sc. the sacraments] signifie and exhibit.

1620 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Phylaster i. 12 Then tooke hee vp his garland, and did shew what euery flower, as countrey people hold, did signifie.

1687 J. Dryden Hind & Panther i. 24 For what is signify'd and understood, Is, by her own confession, flesh and blood.

1726 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. v. 84 These Words are intended to signify certain Forms of Civility.

1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty xi The arrows [of Apollo] may be allowed to signify the sun's rays.

1826 E. Irving Babylon I. ii. 90 The dragon, carnage-coloured, signifies Rome.

1869 J. Ruskin Queen of Air §8 It may be easy to prove that the ascent of Apollo in his chariot signifies nothing but the rising of the sun.

1913 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 22 Feb. 12/1 The crew..hoisted the flag signifying ‘Owner aboard and very thirsty’, and they fired the sunset or dry Martini gun.

1970 A. Toffler Future Shock (1971) viii. 172 Churchill's ‘V for Victory’ sign is now used by protesters to signify something emphatically different: ‘peace’ not ‘victory’.

2004 Webactive 14 Oct. 6/2 The festival [of Diwali] signifies the triumph of light over darkness.

b. transitive. Of a word, phrase, etc.: to have the meaning or import of; to mean, denote.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > meaning of linguistic unit > mean, signify, express [verb (transitive)]

tokenc888

meaneOE

sayOE

bequeathc1175

signifya1382

beara1400

bemeana1400

soundc1400

designc1429

applyc1450

betoken1502

express1526

conveya1568

intend1572

carry1584

denotate1597

pronounce1610

to set out1628

implya1640

speak1645

denote1668

designate1741

describe1808

enunciate1859

a1382 Prefatory Epist. St. Jerome in Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) iv. l. 35 Logos in grece many þinges signifieþ.

c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 287 What signefyes, gode sone, þese sawus þat þou seis?

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 22988 Ierom sais..þat Iosaphat mai signifi Vr lauerd dome.

?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1869) II. 151 For dal in the langage of theyme signifiethe parte.

?1510 T. More tr. G. Pico della Mirandola in tr. G. F. Pico della Mirandola Lyfe I. Picus sig. e.ii^v This name iesus signifieth a sauiour.

a1564 Q. Kennedy Compend. Ressonyng in 2 Eucharistic Tracts (1964) 176 Ite missa est..dois signifie that..the mes was finissit.

1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 204 I have heard likewise, that Caer in the Syriack tongue, signified, a Citie.

1708 W. Whiston New Theory of Earth (ed. 2) ii. 172 The very Name of Typhon..signifies a Deluge or Inundation.

1720 I. Newton Let. 12 Apr. (1977) VII. 89 The word Reichs or Rycks Thalere signifies imperial Dollar.

1770 J. Clubbe Misc. Tracts II. 141 Which is expressed by a word in the Hebrew, that signifies to initiate.

1837 P. Keith Bot. Lexicon 40 The autumn is designated by a term signifying the fall of the leaf.

1876 P. G. Tait Lect. Recent Adv. in Physical Sci. (ed. 2) xiv. 358 We now employ the term Energy to signify the power of doing work.

1912 E. H. Forbush Hist. Game Birds 405 That rivulet..was the Pimesepoese of the natives. This compound phrase signifies ‘provision rivulet’.

1990 B. Bettelheim Recoll. & Refl. i. 66 They were certainly familiar with the German meaning of their name, since most families are interested in what their names signify.

c. transitive. To indicate that (something) is going to take place; to presage, portend; to prefigure.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prefiguration > prefigure [verb (transitive)]

forecomea1300

to say beforec1384

signifyc1384

pretendc1425

prefigurec1429

preostendc1429

prefigurate1530

adumbrate1537

promise1556

premonstrate1562

foresignify1565

presignify1570

shadow1574

foreshadow1577

presage1583

fore-run1590

presign1590

fore-read1591

figure1595

type forth, out1596

fore-point1601

foreshow1601

prophesy1608

foretella1616

foretypea1618

forebode1656

harbingera1657

pretypify1658

pretype1659

forespeak1667

to figure out1721

forecast1883

favour1887

precourse1888

precursea1892

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Zech. iii. 8 Thei ben men signyfyinge [L. portendentes] thing to cummynge.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 814 A Raven, be whom yit men mai Take evidence, whan he crieth, That som mishapp it signefieth.

c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 595 (MED) Þe eye rounde shal signifie Þat he shal habbe seignourye Of þis rounde myddellerd.

?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 11 (MED) Y wille shewe you what youre auision signifiethe.

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 718/1 I sawe a marvaylouse thyng in the ayre yesterday what so ever it dothe signifye.

1580 F. K. Of Crinitall Starre sig. Avii This tayled Starre, by his pale coloure, doth signifie great losses and hinderaunce to the Countreys aforesayd.

1665 A. Cowley Let. 21 May in S. Johnson Pref. Wks. Eng. Poets (1779) I. 35 What this signifies, or may come to in time, God knows; if it be ominous, it can end in nothing less than hanging.

1776 T. Harmer Observ. (ed. 2) II. viii. 253 Which the darkness of the air, and thickness of the clouds..signified before-hand.

1852 Southern Literary Messenger Sept. 520/1 The vaticinations of an old woman, a religious devotee resident in a convent at Oporto; her dreams often signified the coming of the young king.

1871 R. A. Proctor Light Sci. 294 The appearance of a double or ‘fetch’ has ever been held..to signify approaching death.

1914 Pract. Druggist Sept. 392/2 A rapid fall [of a barometer] signifies stormy weather.

1999 Independent (Nexis) 12 Aug. 4 Still-believing Communists say the eclipse signifies at last the end of capitalist days.

†d. intransitive. To have or convey a particular meaning; to function as a sign or symbol. Also: to presage or portend something. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prefiguration > prefigure [verb (intransitive)]

before-showOE

signifya1398

a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. cxxxi. 1386 Som vois signifieþ and tokeneþ by kynde, as chiteryng of briddes and gronynge of sike men. And some tokeneþ at wille, as þe voice of a man.

a1450 York Plays (1885) 118 Or he be borne in burgh hereby..A sterne shulde schyne and signifie, With lightfull lemes.

?a1500 tr. C. de Pisan Epist. of Othea (Harl.) (1942) 118 (MED) Dremes..sumtyme signifye & sumtyme not.

1533 J. Frith Bk. answeringe Mores Let. sig. Bij Now, if they be signes, than they do signifye, and are not the very thinge it self.

1557 J. Gwynneth Playne Demonstr. xlii. f. 78^v Euery figure, token, or signe, is alway ordeyned to signifie.

1652 J. Gaule Πυς-μαντια 228 Every voyce therefore that is significative, first of all signifies by the influence of the cœlestial harmony.

1668 H. More Divine Dialogues: Two Last Dial. iv. xiii. 51 You are to understand..that the Kingdome of God in the New Testament signifies variously.

1682 Heraclitus Ridens 2 May 2/2 Conscience and Honesty are general Words and signifie, according to the mind of the Speaker.

1736 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum (ed. 2) Enmanché [in Heraldry] is..when the chief has lines drawn from the upper edge of the chief on the sides, to about half the breadth of the chief, signifying as if it had sleeves on it.

e. intransitive. In critical or analytical discourse: (of a text, process, sign, etc.) to generate or carry meaning; to have the function of meaning something.

ΚΠ

1937 Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 49 253 First, it is obvious that comprehending often includes perceiving, for it is frequently the product of perceiving that signifes, that has a meaning which goes beyond itself.

1961 R. McInerny Logic of Analogy iv. 49 To say that some words are analogous is to say something about the way they signify.

1973 Screen Spring 224 An understanding of how the film is understood, of how it signifies, of its system(s) of intelligibility.

1981 M. Riffaterre in New Lit. Hist. 12 228 The text refers not to objects outside of itself, but to an intertext. The words of the text signify not by referring to things, but by presupposing other texts.

1994 Representations No. 47. 35 It is this double-sidedness of David's pictorial imagination all through—the effort to signify so often at odds with the passion for embodiment—that is the clue to his work's inimitable pathos.

a. To make known, indicate, announce, declare (an idea, fact, etc.); to signal (an intention, decision, etc.).

(a) transitive. Without construction.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > information > intimation or making known > intimate or make known (something) [verb (transitive)]

speakc825

areadc885

meldeOE

sayOE

yknowa1225

warnc1275

bekena1300

wraya1300

signifyc1325

declarec1340

to speak outc1384

discuss1389

notifyc1390

bida1400

advertise1447

notice1447

detectc1465

render1481

minister1536

to set outa1540

summonc1540

intimate1548

acquaint1609

phrase1614

voice1629

denote1660

unlade1717

apprise1817

aira1902

c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 3233 Me cluped him vter pendragon..& þat was to singnefie Þat merlin him clupede dragon in is prophecye.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xi. 28 Oon of hem..signyfiede [L. significabat] bi the spirit a greet hungir to comynge in al the roundnesse of erthis.

a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 7165 Thus mych wole oure book signifie That while petre hath maistrie May neuer Iohn shewe well his myght.

a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 17650 (MED) And the trouthe doth sygnefye Thys hand ys wrouht ageyn nature.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vii. v. 141 The self stranger, quham fatale destane Signifyit to cum furth of ane wncouth stede To be his son in law.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccxxviij It is reported not onlie in Germany, but also sygnyfyed oute of Italye, and otherplaces.

1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies vi. v. 442 A man of iudgement may aske, how they could signifie their conceptions by figures.

1664 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders (new ed.) i. sig. d2 When no living creature was come from Europe into that part of America to signifie that Newes.

1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones VI. xvi. iv. 27 The Squire and the Parson..were smoaking their Pipes together, when the Arrival of the Lady was first signified .

1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall (1787) II. xix. 132 His first step was to signify a concise and haughty mandate.

1837 J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott III. x. 324 In compliance with Scott's wish as signified in the letter last quoted.

1884 Graphic 16 Aug. 162/3 Her Majesty has signified her intention of subscribing 200l. to the Building Fund.

1921 L. Strachey Queen Victoria (1958) ii. 35 The Regent..signified at the same time that one of the godfathers was to be the Emperor Alexander of Russia.

1966 G. Greene Comedians ii. i. 172 He rose from behind his desk to signify that the interview as at an end.

1990 P. P. Read On Third Day xii. 123 Andrew..merely nodded to signify his acquiescence to anything Father Pierre might propose.

(b) transitive. With to (also †unto).

ΚΠ

c1475 (a1449) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 826 To signifie to pope and to prelate, How this world is a thurghfare ful of woo.

1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos xvii. 65 He..stroof wyth hymself by what wayes he myghte signyfie it vnto her..for to gyue her lesse sorowe.

1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccxxvi^v The Duke of Saxon & the Lantzgraue immediatly signifye to themperour by letters the whole matter.

1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke Ded. sig. A2 To publish these labors of mine vnder your name..to signifie vnto the world, my thankfull mind.

1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 141 It was also signified vnto him, they were borne in..Northumberland.

1689 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) I. 300 He thought they were obliged to y^e Govr. for signifying these things to them.

1737 J. Breval Rape of Helen 43 I am dispatch'd by the Town Major to signify to your Majesty, that the Princes Castor and Pollux, have forc'd one of the Posts.

1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. ii. 16 Nobody ever saw one animal by its gestures and natural cries signify to another, this is mine, that yours.

1812 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 12 419 Mr. Vernon was the gentleman, I believe, that signified it to me.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 162 A prince who obstinately refused to comply with the general wish of his people signified to him by his Parliament.

1903 McClure's Mag. Aug. 403/1 She was glad when the meal was ready, and..he signified to her that she should eat, and noiselessly took his departure.

1991 A. Weir Six Wives Henry VIII i. vi. 106 In November the baby stirred for the first time, and a proud Henry informed King Ferdinand of the fact, to signify to him ‘the great joy thereat that we take.’

†b. transitive. To notify or inform (a person). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] > inform (a person)

to teach a person a thingc888

meanOE

wiseOE

sayOE

wittera1225

tellc1225

do to witc1275

let witc1275

let seec1330

inform1384

form1399

lerea1400

to wit (a person) to saya1400

learn1425

advertise1431

givec1449

insense?c1450

instruct1489

ascertain1490

let1490

alighta1500

advert1511

signify1523

reform1535

advise1562

partake1565

resolve1568

to do to ware1594

to let into one's knowledge1596

intellect1599

possess1600

acquainta1616

alighten1615

recommenda1616

intelligence1637

apprise1694

appraise1706

introduce1741

avail1785

prime1791

document1807

to put up1811

to put a person au fait of1828

post1847

to keep (someone) straight1862

monish1866

to put next to1896

to put (one) wise (to)1896

voice1898

in the picture1900

to give (someone) a line on1903

to wise up1905

drum1908

hip1932

to fill (someone) in on1945

clue1948

background1961

to mark a person's card1961

to loop in1994

1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. lxxxvi. 108 Sir Gaultier of Manny sent certayne messangers to the kyng of Englande, signyfieng hym howe [etc.].

1566 in R. G. Marsden Court Adm. (Selden) II. 135 Plezeth your..Lordshipp to be signifyed that I have receivid your..writ of supersedeas to me dyrectid.

1611 T. Heywood Golden Age iii. sig. F2^v Messengers dispatch'd to signifie My sonne of our distresse.

†3. transitive. To compare or liken to something. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > compare [verb (transitive)] > liken

bysenc1325

anliken1340

comparison1340

liken1340

figure1393

like?c1425

semblea1440

compare1447

comparagea1450

signifya1470

comparate?a1475

figurate?a1500

resemble1533

patterna1586

symbolize with1605

assimilatec1616

similize1620

symbolize1651

similarize1806

a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 999 Well ought Oure Lorde be signifyed to an harte.

c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 266 The quhyte colour..is signifyit to the vertu of puritee.

†4. transitive. To hint at. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > information > hint or covert suggestion > hint at or suggest [verb (transitive)]

inkle1340

induce1481

alludec1487

signifya1535

insinuate1561

to glance at (upon, against)1570

thrust1574

imply1581

adumbrate1589

intimate1590

innuate?1611

glancea1616

ministera1616

perstringea1620

shadow1621

subinduce1640

involve1646

equivocate1648

hint1648

subindicate1654

hint at1697

suggest1697

indicate1751

surmise1820

to get at ——1875

a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 63/2 Other thinges, which the said worshipful doctor rather signified then fully explaned.

5. intransitive. To be of importance or consequence; to have significance; to avail, matter. Chiefly in negative or interrogative constructions.

a. With adverbs, as much, little, nothing, or in questions with what.In later use the modifying word or interrogative pronoun may be interpreted as an object complement, and thus the verb as transitive.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [verb (intransitive)]

reckeOE

recka1250

attainc1374

beforcec1375

pertaina1382

concern1477

import1539

signifya1616

to trench into (unto)1621

to bear (a) (great) state1623

urge1654

relate1655

bulk1672

refer1677

argufy1751

to be no small drinka1774

tell1779

reckon1811

to count for (much, little, nothing, etc.)1857

to stand for something (or nothing)1863

shout1876

count1885

mind1915

rate1926

a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) v. v. 26 A Tale Told by an Ideot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing.

1661 A. Marvell Let. 16 May in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 23 The House left Liddall to prosecute him at law. But I believe it will not signify much.

1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 33 But it signify'd little.

a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 365 His speech signified nothing towards the saving of himself.

1757 S. Foote Author i. 16 Lord! what signifies carrying such a lumb'ring Thing about?

1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 78 ‘It signifies little,’ replied Captain Porteous; ‘your pain will be soon at an end.’

1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 85 Condemned Prætextatus must be, and what did it signify by what semblance of law or justice..the king, Fredegonde, and all the Frank warriors, would look at the sentence, not at the grounds on which it professed to rest .

1878 R. Browning La Saisiaz 30 What signifies repugnance? Truth is truth howe'er it strike.

1916 C. Mackenzie Mr. & Mrs. Pierce xx. 392 I began to think that even the most horrible things which Butler could have done or I could have done really didn't signify much.

1990 F. Dannen Hit Men (1991) iv. 82 He..had a vague job that paid well but signified little, a reward for service that the navy calls a ‘sunset cruise’.

b. Without modifying word.

ΚΠ

1677 W. Hughes Man of Sin ii. iii. 48 Is he not made to stand by as a Cypher, when she alone must signifie in all these Devotions?

1743 J. Bulkeley & J. Cummins Voy. to South-seas 14 The Captain's Answer was, It does not signify.

1763 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting III. i. 63 The anecdotes of Cooper's life are few; nor does it signify; his works are his history.

1817 Countess Granville Lett. (1894) I. 91 His eye is still bloodshot, but nothing to signify.

1895 ‘G. Mortimer’ Like Stars that Fall xiv. 195 ‘What name?’ ‘I don't know that it signifies about my name. Please tell her that some one wishes to speak to her.’

1930 A. P. Herbert Water Gipsies ii. 16 Don't worry, Fred. It don't signify.

1994 A. Taylor Air that Kills v. xiii. 229 ‘Belt and braces job, if you ask me,’ Dr Bayswater said. ‘Not that it signifies.’

6. intransitive. U.S. slang (chiefly in African-American usage). To boast, brag; to make insulting remarks, esp. as part of a verbal contest.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > jeering, taunting, or scoffing > [verb (intransitive)]

gab?c1225

scoffa1380

mockc1475

to mock and mow1509

jest1526

jeer1553

taunt1560

gibe1567

scripa1572

to come over ——1600

flirt1603

tit1622

to sling off (at)1911

signify1932

barrack-

the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > boast [verb (intransitive)] > boast scornfully or insultingly

insulta1592

signify1932

1932 Evening Sun (Baltimore) 9 Dec. 31/5 Signify, to pretend to have knowledge of a matter or subject in which one is poorly informed.

1935 Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. vii. 161 ‘Aw, woman, quit tryin' to signify.’ ‘Ah kin signify all Ah please, Mr. Nappy-chin.’

1951 J. Kerouac On the Road: Orig. Scroll (2007) 356 Anybody signify with me my nose opens up, I get mad enough to kill.

1968 Down Beat 7 Mar. 38/3 One night Billie brought the personal element into focus by ‘signifying’, which in Harlemese means making a series of pointed but oblique remarks apparently addressed to no one in particular, but unmistakable in intention.

2000 J. F. Callahan in R. Ellison & A. Murray Trading Twelves Introd. p. xiii I cannot stifle a sigh of regret that they did not riff and signify on paper with each other.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	signify
释义	signifyv. Brit. /ˈsɪɡnᵻfʌɪ/, U.S. /ˈsɪɡnəˌfaɪ/ Forms: Middle English senfye, Middle English signefe, Middle English signefyȝe, Middle English signifi, Middle English singnefie, Middle English sinifijt (3rd singular present indicative), Middle English sinyfied (3rd singular present indicative), Middle English sygnyffye, Middle English sygnyffyie, Middle English syngnyfyth (3rd singular present indicative), Middle English synified (past tense), Middle English–1500s signifye, Middle English–1500s signyfie, Middle English–1500s signyfye, Middle English (in a late copy)–1500s sinifieth (3rd singular present indicative), Middle English–1500s sygnefye, Middle English–1500s sygnifie, Middle English–1500s sygnifye, Middle English–1500s sygnyfie, Middle English–1500s sygnyfye, Middle English–1600s signefie, Middle English–1600s signefy, Middle English–1600s signefye, Middle English–1600s singnifie, Middle English–1700s signifie, Middle English– signify, late Middle English gignyfy (transmission error), 1500s seignyfye, 1500s sygnefie, 1500s sygnefy, 1500s sygnify, 1500s sygnyfy, 1500s sygnyfyed (past tense and past participle), 1500s syngnifie, 1500s syngnyfie, 1500s syngnyfy, 1500s syngnyfye, 1600s signiefie (Irish English), 1600s singnify, 1600s sinifie, 1600s–1700s sinify; Scottish pre-1700 segnify, pre-1700 signefe, pre-1700 signefie, pre-1700 signefy, pre-1700 signiefie, pre-1700 signife, pre-1700 signifie, pre-1700 signifye, pre-1700 signyfe, pre-1700 signyfie, pre-1700 signyfy, pre-1700 singneffye, pre-1700 singnife, pre-1700 singnifices (3rd singular present indicative), pre-1700 singnifie, pre-1700 sygnyfis (3rd singular present indicative), pre-1700 sygnyfy, pre-1700 1700s– signify, 1800s signafee (Shetland). Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a borrowing from French. Partly a borrowing from Latin. Etymons: French signifier; Latin significāre. Etymology: < (i) Anglo-Norman senifier, singnefier, singnifier, Anglo-Norman and Old French, Middle French senefier, signefier, signifier (French signifier ) to mean, denote (c1100 of an object, c1377 of a word), to make known, announce, declare (something) (c1145), to presage, portend, prefigure (an event) (second half of the 12th cent. as senechier ), to function as a sign or symbol (c1175), and its etymon (ii) classical Latin significāre to indicate, to make signs, to show, demonstrate, to make known, to suggest, to mention, refer to, to convey, mean, to denote, express, to foreshow < signum sign n. + -ficāre -fy suffix. Compare Old Occitan significar (c1300 or earlier), signifiar (14th cent.), Catalan significar (12th cent.), Spanish significar (first half of the 13th cent.), Portuguese significar (14th cent.), Italian significare (12th cent.). The use in sense 5 is not paralleled in French until later (1671 in ne signifier rien; chiefly in negative contexts). 1. a. transitive. Of an object, event, etc.: to be a sign or symbol of, to symbolize; to represent, denote, mean. ΘΚΠ society > communication > indication > [verb (transitive)] tokenc888 sayOE tellc1175 note?c1225 signifyc1275 notifyc1390 signc1390 ossc1400 testify1445 point1477 betoken1486 indike?1541 demonstrate1558 to give show of1567 argue1585 portend1590 speak1594 denotate1597 denote1597 evidence1610 instance1616 bespeak1629 resent1638 indict1653 notificate1653 indicate1706 exhibit1799 to body forth1821 signalize1825 to speak for ——1832 index1862 signal1866 c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 215 Þet Gold þet is bricht..signefieth þe gode beleaue þet is bricht ine þe gode cristenemannes herte. a1450 (?1419–20) Friar Daw's Reply (Digby) l. 195 in P. L. Heyworth Jack Upland (1968) 79 Foure angels singnefien foure general synnes. a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 886 The two knyghtes, signyfyeth the two dedly synnes. a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) Prol. 4 Þis boke is distyngid in thris fyfty psalmes, in þe whilk thre statis of cristin mannys religion is sygnifyd. 1521 tr. C. de Pisan Body of Polycye i. xx. sig. e.v In the one hande she helde a braunche of Olyfe and in y^e other honde she helde a naked sworde, whiche sygnyfyed that in lordshyp ought to be benygnyte and mercy, & also Iustyce, and myght. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. lxv^v This signifieth my body. 1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lviii. 129 The secret grace which they [sc. the sacraments] signifie and exhibit. 1620 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Phylaster i. 12 Then tooke hee vp his garland, and did shew what euery flower, as countrey people hold, did signifie. 1687 J. Dryden Hind & Panther i. 24 For what is signify'd and understood, Is, by her own confession, flesh and blood. 1726 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. v. 84 These Words are intended to signify certain Forms of Civility. 1753 W. Hogarth Anal. Beauty xi The arrows [of Apollo] may be allowed to signify the sun's rays. 1826 E. Irving Babylon I. ii. 90 The dragon, carnage-coloured, signifies Rome. 1869 J. Ruskin Queen of Air §8 It may be easy to prove that the ascent of Apollo in his chariot signifies nothing but the rising of the sun. 1913 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 22 Feb. 12/1 The crew..hoisted the flag signifying ‘Owner aboard and very thirsty’, and they fired the sunset or dry Martini gun. 1970 A. Toffler Future Shock (1971) viii. 172 Churchill's ‘V for Victory’ sign is now used by protesters to signify something emphatically different: ‘peace’ not ‘victory’. 2004 Webactive 14 Oct. 6/2 The festival [of Diwali] signifies the triumph of light over darkness. b. transitive. Of a word, phrase, etc.: to have the meaning or import of; to mean, denote. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > meaning of linguistic unit > mean, signify, express [verb (transitive)] tokenc888 meaneOE sayOE bequeathc1175 signifya1382 beara1400 bemeana1400 soundc1400 designc1429 applyc1450 betoken1502 express1526 conveya1568 intend1572 carry1584 denotate1597 pronounce1610 to set out1628 implya1640 speak1645 denote1668 designate1741 describe1808 enunciate1859 read1894 a1382 Prefatory Epist. St. Jerome in Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) iv. l. 35 Logos in grece many þinges signifieþ. c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 287 What signefyes, gode sone, þese sawus þat þou seis? a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 22988 Ierom sais..þat Iosaphat mai signifi Vr lauerd dome. ?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1869) II. 151 For dal in the langage of theyme signifiethe parte. ?1510 T. More tr. G. Pico della Mirandola in tr. G. F. Pico della Mirandola Lyfe I. Picus sig. e.ii^v This name iesus signifieth a sauiour. a1564 Q. Kennedy Compend. Ressonyng in 2 Eucharistic Tracts (1964) 176 Ite missa est..dois signifie that..the mes was finissit. 1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 204 I have heard likewise, that Caer in the Syriack tongue, signified, a Citie. 1708 W. Whiston New Theory of Earth (ed. 2) ii. 172 The very Name of Typhon..signifies a Deluge or Inundation. 1720 I. Newton Let. 12 Apr. (1977) VII. 89 The word Reichs or Rycks Thalere signifies imperial Dollar. 1770 J. Clubbe Misc. Tracts II. 141 Which is expressed by a word in the Hebrew, that signifies to initiate. 1837 P. Keith Bot. Lexicon 40 The autumn is designated by a term signifying the fall of the leaf. 1876 P. G. Tait Lect. Recent Adv. in Physical Sci. (ed. 2) xiv. 358 We now employ the term Energy to signify the power of doing work. 1912 E. H. Forbush Hist. Game Birds 405 That rivulet..was the Pimesepoese of the natives. This compound phrase signifies ‘provision rivulet’. 1990 B. Bettelheim Recoll. & Refl. i. 66 They were certainly familiar with the German meaning of their name, since most families are interested in what their names signify. c. transitive. To indicate that (something) is going to take place; to presage, portend; to prefigure. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prefiguration > prefigure [verb (transitive)] forecomea1300 to say beforec1384 signifyc1384 pretendc1425 prefigurec1429 preostendc1429 prefigurate1530 prefigurate1530 adumbrate1537 promise1556 premonstrate1562 foresignify1565 presignify1570 shadow1574 foreshadow1577 presage1583 fore-run1590 presign1590 fore-read1591 figure1595 type forth, out1596 fore-point1601 foreshow1601 prophesy1608 foretella1616 foretypea1618 forebode1656 harbingera1657 pretypify1658 pretype1659 forespeak1667 to figure out1721 forecast1883 favour1887 precourse1888 precursea1892 c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Zech. iii. 8 Thei ben men signyfyinge [L. portendentes] thing to cummynge. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 814 A Raven, be whom yit men mai Take evidence, whan he crieth, That som mishapp it signefieth. c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) l. 595 (MED) Þe eye rounde shal signifie Þat he shal habbe seignourye Of þis rounde myddellerd. ?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 11 (MED) Y wille shewe you what youre auision signifiethe. 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 718/1 I sawe a marvaylouse thyng in the ayre yesterday what so ever it dothe signifye. 1580 F. K. Of Crinitall Starre sig. Avii This tayled Starre, by his pale coloure, doth signifie great losses and hinderaunce to the Countreys aforesayd. 1665 A. Cowley Let. 21 May in S. Johnson Pref. Wks. Eng. Poets (1779) I. 35 What this signifies, or may come to in time, God knows; if it be ominous, it can end in nothing less than hanging. 1776 T. Harmer Observ. (ed. 2) II. viii. 253 Which the darkness of the air, and thickness of the clouds..signified before-hand. 1852 Southern Literary Messenger Sept. 520/1 The vaticinations of an old woman, a religious devotee resident in a convent at Oporto; her dreams often signified the coming of the young king. 1871 R. A. Proctor Light Sci. 294 The appearance of a double or ‘fetch’ has ever been held..to signify approaching death. 1914 Pract. Druggist Sept. 392/2 A rapid fall [of a barometer] signifies stormy weather. 1999 Independent (Nexis) 12 Aug. 4 Still-believing Communists say the eclipse signifies at last the end of capitalist days. †d. intransitive. To have or convey a particular meaning; to function as a sign or symbol. Also: to presage or portend something. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prefiguration > prefigure [verb (intransitive)] before-showOE signifya1398 a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xix. cxxxi. 1386 Som vois signifieþ and tokeneþ by kynde, as chiteryng of briddes and gronynge of sike men. And some tokeneþ at wille, as þe voice of a man. a1450 York Plays (1885) 118 Or he be borne in burgh hereby..A sterne shulde schyne and signifie, With lightfull lemes. ?a1500 tr. C. de Pisan Epist. of Othea (Harl.) (1942) 118 (MED) Dremes..sumtyme signifye & sumtyme not. 1533 J. Frith Bk. answeringe Mores Let. sig. Bij Now, if they be signes, than they do signifye, and are not the very thinge it self. 1557 J. Gwynneth Playne Demonstr. xlii. f. 78^v Euery figure, token, or signe, is alway ordeyned to signifie. 1652 J. Gaule Πυς-μαντια 228 Every voyce therefore that is significative, first of all signifies by the influence of the cœlestial harmony. 1668 H. More Divine Dialogues: Two Last Dial. iv. xiii. 51 You are to understand..that the Kingdome of God in the New Testament signifies variously. 1682 Heraclitus Ridens 2 May 2/2 Conscience and Honesty are general Words and signifie, according to the mind of the Speaker. 1736 N. Bailey et al. Dictionarium Britannicum (ed. 2) Enmanché [in Heraldry] is..when the chief has lines drawn from the upper edge of the chief on the sides, to about half the breadth of the chief, signifying as if it had sleeves on it. e. intransitive. In critical or analytical discourse: (of a text, process, sign, etc.) to generate or carry meaning; to have the function of meaning something. ΚΠ 1937 Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. 49 253 First, it is obvious that comprehending often includes perceiving, for it is frequently the product of perceiving that signifes, that has a meaning which goes beyond itself. 1961 R. McInerny Logic of Analogy iv. 49 To say that some words are analogous is to say something about the way they signify. 1973 Screen Spring 224 An understanding of how the film is understood, of how it signifies, of its system(s) of intelligibility. 1981 M. Riffaterre in New Lit. Hist. 12 228 The text refers not to objects outside of itself, but to an intertext. The words of the text signify not by referring to things, but by presupposing other texts. 1994 Representations No. 47. 35 It is this double-sidedness of David's pictorial imagination all through—the effort to signify so often at odds with the passion for embodiment—that is the clue to his work's inimitable pathos. 2. a. To make known, indicate, announce, declare (an idea, fact, etc.); to signal (an intention, decision, etc.). (a) transitive. Without construction. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > intimation or making known > intimate or make known (something) [verb (transitive)] speakc825 areadc885 meldeOE sayOE yknowa1225 warnc1275 bekena1300 wraya1300 signifyc1325 declarec1340 to speak outc1384 discuss1389 notifyc1390 bida1400 advertise1447 notice1447 detectc1465 render1481 minister1536 to set outa1540 summonc1540 intimate1548 acquaint1609 phrase1614 voice1629 denote1660 unlade1717 apprise1817 aira1902 c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 3233 Me cluped him vter pendragon..& þat was to singnefie Þat merlin him clupede dragon in is prophecye. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xi. 28 Oon of hem..signyfiede [L. significabat] bi the spirit a greet hungir to comynge in al the roundnesse of erthis. a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 7165 Thus mych wole oure book signifie That while petre hath maistrie May neuer Iohn shewe well his myght. a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 17650 (MED) And the trouthe doth sygnefye Thys hand ys wrouht ageyn nature. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vii. v. 141 The self stranger, quham fatale destane Signifyit to cum furth of ane wncouth stede To be his son in law. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccxxviij It is reported not onlie in Germany, but also sygnyfyed oute of Italye, and otherplaces. 1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies vi. v. 442 A man of iudgement may aske, how they could signifie their conceptions by figures. 1664 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders (new ed.) i. sig. d2 When no living creature was come from Europe into that part of America to signifie that Newes. 1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones VI. xvi. iv. 27 The Squire and the Parson..were smoaking their Pipes together, when the Arrival of the Lady was first signified . View more context for this quotation 1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall (1787) II. xix. 132 His first step was to signify a concise and haughty mandate. 1837 J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott III. x. 324 In compliance with Scott's wish as signified in the letter last quoted. 1884 Graphic 16 Aug. 162/3 Her Majesty has signified her intention of subscribing 200l. to the Building Fund. 1921 L. Strachey Queen Victoria (1958) ii. 35 The Regent..signified at the same time that one of the godfathers was to be the Emperor Alexander of Russia. 1966 G. Greene Comedians ii. i. 172 He rose from behind his desk to signify that the interview as at an end. 1990 P. P. Read On Third Day xii. 123 Andrew..merely nodded to signify his acquiescence to anything Father Pierre might propose. (b) transitive. With to (also †unto). ΚΠ c1475 (a1449) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 826 To signifie to pope and to prelate, How this world is a thurghfare ful of woo. 1490 W. Caxton tr. Eneydos xvii. 65 He..stroof wyth hymself by what wayes he myghte signyfie it vnto her..for to gyue her lesse sorowe. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. ccxxvi^v The Duke of Saxon & the Lantzgraue immediatly signifye to themperour by letters the whole matter. 1597 T. Morley Plaine & Easie Introd. Musicke Ded. sig. A2 To publish these labors of mine vnder your name..to signifie vnto the world, my thankfull mind. 1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 141 It was also signified vnto him, they were borne in..Northumberland. 1689 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) I. 300 He thought they were obliged to y^e Govr. for signifying these things to them. 1737 J. Breval Rape of Helen 43 I am dispatch'd by the Town Major to signify to your Majesty, that the Princes Castor and Pollux, have forc'd one of the Posts. 1776 A. Smith Inq. Wealth of Nations I. i. ii. 16 Nobody ever saw one animal by its gestures and natural cries signify to another, this is mine, that yours. View more context for this quotation 1812 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 12 419 Mr. Vernon was the gentleman, I believe, that signified it to me. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 162 A prince who obstinately refused to comply with the general wish of his people signified to him by his Parliament. 1903 McClure's Mag. Aug. 403/1 She was glad when the meal was ready, and..he signified to her that she should eat, and noiselessly took his departure. 1991 A. Weir Six Wives Henry VIII i. vi. 106 In November the baby stirred for the first time, and a proud Henry informed King Ferdinand of the fact, to signify to him ‘the great joy thereat that we take.’ †b. transitive. To notify or inform (a person). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > action of informing > give (information) [verb (transitive)] > inform (a person) to teach a person a thingc888 meanOE wiseOE sayOE wittera1225 tellc1225 do to witc1275 let witc1275 let seec1330 inform1384 form1399 lerea1400 to wit (a person) to saya1400 learn1425 advertise1431 givec1449 insense?c1450 instruct1489 ascertain1490 let1490 alighta1500 advert1511 signify1523 reform1535 advise1562 partake1565 resolve1568 to do to ware1594 to let into one's knowledge1596 intellect1599 possess1600 acquainta1616 alighten1615 recommenda1616 intelligence1637 apprise1694 appraise1706 introduce1741 avail1785 prime1791 document1807 to put up1811 to put a person au fait of1828 post1847 to keep (someone) straight1862 monish1866 to put next to1896 to put (one) wise (to)1896 voice1898 in the picture1900 to give (someone) a line on1903 to wise up1905 drum1908 hip1932 to fill (someone) in on1945 clue1948 background1961 to mark a person's card1961 to loop in1994 1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. lxxxvi. 108 Sir Gaultier of Manny sent certayne messangers to the kyng of Englande, signyfieng hym howe [etc.]. 1566 in R. G. Marsden Court Adm. (Selden) II. 135 Plezeth your..Lordshipp to be signifyed that I have receivid your..writ of supersedeas to me dyrectid. 1611 T. Heywood Golden Age iii. sig. F2^v Messengers dispatch'd to signifie My sonne of our distresse. †3. transitive. To compare or liken to something. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > compare [verb (transitive)] > liken bysenc1325 anliken1340 comparison1340 liken1340 figure1393 like?c1425 semblea1440 compare1447 comparagea1450 signifya1470 comparate?a1475 figurate?a1500 resemble1533 patterna1586 symbolize with1605 assimilatec1616 similize1620 symbolize1651 similarize1806 a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 999 Well ought Oure Lorde be signifyed to an harte. c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 266 The quhyte colour..is signifyit to the vertu of puritee. †4. transitive. To hint at. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > communication > information > hint or covert suggestion > hint at or suggest [verb (transitive)] inkle1340 induce1481 alludec1487 signifya1535 insinuate1561 to glance at (upon, against)1570 thrust1574 imply1581 adumbrate1589 intimate1590 innuate?1611 glancea1616 ministera1616 perstringea1620 shadow1621 subinduce1640 involve1646 equivocate1648 hint1648 subindicate1654 hint at1697 suggest1697 indicate1751 surmise1820 to get at ——1875 a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 63/2 Other thinges, which the said worshipful doctor rather signified then fully explaned. 5. intransitive. To be of importance or consequence; to have significance; to avail, matter. Chiefly in negative or interrogative constructions. a. With adverbs, as much, little, nothing, or in questions with what.In later use the modifying word or interrogative pronoun may be interpreted as an object complement, and thus the verb as transitive. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [verb (intransitive)] reckeOE recka1250 attainc1374 beforcec1375 pertaina1382 concern1477 import1539 signifya1616 to trench into (unto)1621 to bear (a) (great) state1623 urge1654 relate1655 bulk1672 refer1677 argufy1751 to be no small drinka1774 tell1779 reckon1811 to count for (much, little, nothing, etc.)1857 to stand for something (or nothing)1863 shout1876 count1885 mind1915 rate1926 a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) v. v. 26 A Tale Told by an Ideot, full of sound and fury Signifying nothing. View more context for this quotation 1661 A. Marvell Let. 16 May in Poems & Lett. (1971) II. 23 The House left Liddall to prosecute him at law. But I believe it will not signify much. 1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 33 But it signify'd little. a1715 Bp. G. Burnet Hist. Own Time (1724) I. 365 His speech signified nothing towards the saving of himself. 1757 S. Foote Author i. 16 Lord! what signifies carrying such a lumb'ring Thing about? 1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian iii, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. I. 78 ‘It signifies little,’ replied Captain Porteous; ‘your pain will be soon at an end.’ 1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 85 Condemned Prætextatus must be, and what did it signify by what semblance of law or justice..the king, Fredegonde, and all the Frank warriors, would look at the sentence, not at the grounds on which it professed to rest . 1878 R. Browning La Saisiaz 30 What signifies repugnance? Truth is truth howe'er it strike. 1916 C. Mackenzie Mr. & Mrs. Pierce xx. 392 I began to think that even the most horrible things which Butler could have done or I could have done really didn't signify much. 1990 F. Dannen Hit Men (1991) iv. 82 He..had a vague job that paid well but signified little, a reward for service that the navy calls a ‘sunset cruise’. b. Without modifying word. ΚΠ 1677 W. Hughes Man of Sin ii. iii. 48 Is he not made to stand by as a Cypher, when she alone must signifie in all these Devotions? 1743 J. Bulkeley & J. Cummins Voy. to South-seas 14 The Captain's Answer was, It does not signify. 1763 H. Walpole Vertue's Anecd. Painting III. i. 63 The anecdotes of Cooper's life are few; nor does it signify; his works are his history. 1817 Countess Granville Lett. (1894) I. 91 His eye is still bloodshot, but nothing to signify. 1895 ‘G. Mortimer’ Like Stars that Fall xiv. 195 ‘What name?’ ‘I don't know that it signifies about my name. Please tell her that some one wishes to speak to her.’ 1930 A. P. Herbert Water Gipsies ii. 16 Don't worry, Fred. It don't signify. 1994 A. Taylor Air that Kills v. xiii. 229 ‘Belt and braces job, if you ask me,’ Dr Bayswater said. ‘Not that it signifies.’ 6. intransitive. U.S. slang (chiefly in African-American usage). To boast, brag; to make insulting remarks, esp. as part of a verbal contest. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > derision, ridicule, or mockery > jeering, taunting, or scoffing > [verb (intransitive)] gab?c1225 scoffa1380 mockc1475 to mock and mow1509 jest1526 jeer1553 taunt1560 gibe1567 scripa1572 to come over ——1600 flirt1603 tit1622 to sling off (at)1911 signify1932 barrack- the mind > emotion > pride > boasting or boastfulness > boast [verb (intransitive)] > boast scornfully or insultingly insulta1592 signify1932 1932 Evening Sun (Baltimore) 9 Dec. 31/5 Signify, to pretend to have knowledge of a matter or subject in which one is poorly informed. 1935 Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. vii. 161 ‘Aw, woman, quit tryin' to signify.’ ‘Ah kin signify all Ah please, Mr. Nappy-chin.’ 1951 J. Kerouac On the Road: Orig. Scroll (2007) 356 Anybody signify with me my nose opens up, I get mad enough to kill. 1968 Down Beat 7 Mar. 38/3 One night Billie brought the personal element into focus by ‘signifying’, which in Harlemese means making a series of pointed but oblique remarks apparently addressed to no one in particular, but unmistakable in intention. 2000 J. F. Callahan in R. Ellison & A. Murray Trading Twelves Introd. p. xiii I cannot stifle a sigh of regret that they did not riff and signify on paper with each other. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < v.c1275
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