Where does “signifier” come from?
signifier (Old French) comes from Latin significāre, from Latin signum, from Proto-Italic seknom, from Proto-Indo-European sek- — to cut, cut off, sever.
Ancestry of “signifier”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | significāre | — |
| 2 | Latin | signum | visible indication: sign, mark, signal; seal,... |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | seknom | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | sek- | to cut, cut off, sever |
Words derived from “signifier”