Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “signature” come from?

signature (Middle French) comes from Latin signatura, from Latin signō, from Latin signum, from Proto-Italic seknom, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.

Ancestry of “signature”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinsignaturanominative feminine singular of signātūrus;...
2Latinsignō—
3Latinsignumvisible indication: sign, mark, signal; seal,...
4Proto-Italicseknom—
5Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever

Words derived from “signature”

  • signature
  • sig
  • countersignature
  • biosignature
  • subsignature
  • signatureless
  • multisignature
  • sigfile
  • signaturist
  • presignature
  • cut signature
  • technosignature
  • sigless
  • sigblock
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sek- →