Wiktionary

signal

See also: Signal and signál

English

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Two-aspect railway signal

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Old French segnal, seignal or Medieval Latin signāle; noun use of the neuter of Late Latin signālis, from Latin signum; verb use from 1805, as a shortened from signalize (1650s).

Pronunciation

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  • enPR: sĭgʹnəl, IPA(key): /ˈsɪɡnəl/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪɡnəl
  • Hyphenation: sig‧nal

Noun

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signal (plural signals)

  1. A sequence of states representing an encoded message in a communication channel.
  2. Any variation of a quantity or change in an entity over time that conveys information upon detection.
  3. A sign made to give notice of some occurrence, command, or danger, or to indicate the start of a concerted action.
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
      All obeyed / The wonted signal and superior voice / Of this great potentate.
    • 2020 December 30, David Allen, “Unusual signals...”, in Rail, page 64:
      Banner-Repeater signals tend to be provided in locations where drivers receive insufficient warning of the main signal, thereby effectively increasing the sighting distance for the main signal.
  4. An on-off light, semaphore, or other device used to give an indication to another person.
  5. (of a radio, TV, telephone, internet, etc.) An electromagnetic action, normally a voltage that is a function of time, that conveys the information of the radio or TV program or of communication with another party.
    My mobile phone can't get a signal in the railway station.
  6. An action, change or process done to convey information and thus reduce uncertainty.
  7. A token; an indication; a foreshadowing; a sign.
  8. Useful information, as opposed to noise.
  9. (computing, Unix) A simple interprocess communication used to notify a process or thread of an occurrence.
  10. (biochemistry) A signalling interaction between cells

Antonyms

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  • (antonym(s) of “useful information”): noise

Derived terms

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Terms derived from signal (noun)
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Translations

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See also

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Verb

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signal (third-person singular simple present signals, present participle (UK) signalling or (US) signaling, simple past and past participle (UK) signalled or (US) signaled)

  1. (ambitransitive) To indicate; to convey or communicate by a signal.
    I signalled my acquiescence with a nod.
    He whistled to signal that we should stop.
    • 1962 June, David Walters, “The new station and layout at Coventry”, in Modern Railways, page 405:
      In order to accommodate the new platform 4 and the reversibly signalled slow line, a deep cutting had to be cut back and held up in places with a concrete retaining wall.
    • 2015, Andy Nottenkamper, A Rule Not Followed:
      I signaled for our waiter and ordered two Glenlivets, the only single malt they had behind the bar.
    • 2024 February 7, Mel Holley, “Network News: LNER ditches Off-Peak for 70min semi-flexible fare”, in RAIL, number 1002, page 6:
      It is the latest step towards an airline-style advance booking-only system, which rail users have denounced as signalling the end of affordable, immediate travel.
    • 2025 April 21, Peter Stanford, “Pope Francis obituary”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      The break with tradition that Francis, who has died aged 88 after suffering from double pneumonia, represented even managed to trump the shock value of the resignation of Benedict, who was the first pope for 600 years to take that option rather than die in office. Immediately, Bergoglio signalled unambiguously that he intended to be a different kind of pope, one for the 21st century.
  2. (transitive) To communicate with (a person or system) by a signal.
    Seeing the flames, he ran to the control room and signalled headquarters.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Adjective

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signal (not comparable)

  1. Standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement.
    a signal exploit; a signal success; a signal act of benevolence

Synonyms

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Anagrams

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Crimean Tatar

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Other scripts
Cyrillic сигнал
Roman

Etymology

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Borrowed from Russian сигнал (signal).

Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: sig‧nal

Noun

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signal

  1. signal

Declension

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Declension of signal
singular plural
nominative signal signallar
genitive signalnıñ signallarnıñ
dative signalğa signallarğa
accusative signalnı signallarnı
locative signalda signallarda
ablative signaldan signallardan

References

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Danish

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Etymology

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From Medieval Latin signale.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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signal n (singular definite signalet, plural indefinite signaler)

  1. a signal

Declension

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Declension of signal
neuter
gender 		singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative signal signalet signaler signalerne
genitive signals signalets signalers signalernes

References

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French

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Etymology

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Re-latinization of Old French segnal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Late Latin signālis, from Latin signum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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signal m (plural signaux)

  1. signal
    • 1864, Jules Verne, Voyage au centre de la Terre, sourced from [3]:
      Nous verrons bien. C’est le mot du professeur, qui, après avoir baptisé cet îlot volcanique du nom de son neveu, donne le signal de rembarquement.
      "That is what we shall see." So says the Professor, who, having named this volcanic islet after his nephew, gives the signal to embark again.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Dutch: signaal, signael (obsolete)
    • → Indonesian: sinyal
  • → Turkish: sinyal

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Norwegian Bokmål

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Etymology

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From Medieval Latin signale.

Noun

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signal n (definite singular signalet, indefinite plural signal or signaler, definite plural signala or signalene)

  1. a signal

Derived terms

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References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Etymology

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From Medieval Latin signale.

Noun

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signal n (definite singular signalet, indefinite plural signal, definite plural signala)

  1. a signal

Derived terms

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References

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French signal.

Noun

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signal n (plural signale)

  1. signal

Declension

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Declension of signal
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative signal signalul signale signalele
genitive-dative signal signalului signale signalelor
vocative signalule signalelor

Serbo-Croatian

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Etymology

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From German Signal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Latin signum.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /sǐɡnaːl/
  • Hyphenation: sig‧nal

Noun

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sìgnāl m (Cyrillic spelling сѝгна̄л)

  1. signal

Declension

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Declension of signal
singular plural
nominative sìgnāl signali
genitive signála signala
dative signalu signalima
accusative signal signale
vocative signale signali
locative signalu signalima
instrumental signalom signalima

References

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  • “signal”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025

Swedish

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Etymology

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Derived from Latin signālis, from signum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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signal c

  1. a signal

Declension

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Declension of signal
nominative genitive
singular indefinite signal signals
definite signalen signalens
plural indefinite signaler signalers
definite signalerna signalernas

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Vilamovian

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Etymology

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From Old French segnal, seignal or Medieval Latin signāle, noun use of the neuter of Late Latin signālis, from Latin signum.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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signal n (plural signale)

  1. signal

Welsh

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Etymology

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Borrowed from English signal.

Noun

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signal m (plural signalau or signals, not mutable)

  1. signal
    Synonym: arwyddiad

References

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  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “signal”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
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