signified

Everyday

1. Signified is the past form of signify: it means showed, meant or stood for. tree →
2. It can mean made known by a sign or action: «She signified that she agreed by nodding.» tree →
3. (formal, language study) The signified is the idea or meaning that a word or sign points to, as opposed to the sound or letters (the signifier). tree →

In the lessons

In English lessons it helps say what a symbol, colour or gesture means in a story: «The dark clouds signified danger.» In history it is used for events: «The fall of the wall signified the end of an era.» In language study the word and its idea are called the signifier and the signified. Phrases: signified that, signified the end of, signified agreement.

Examples

• The red flag signified that swimming was not safe. tree →
• The bell signified the end of break. tree →
• She signified her agreement with a quick nod. tree →
• In the story, the white dove signified peace. tree →
• The teacher's raised hand signified that we should be quiet. tree →
• The ancient carving signified the sun god. tree →
• (formal) The word «dog» is the signifier; the idea of a dog is the signified. tree →
• The name Palatine, which originally signified a pastoral colony, is derived from this divinity. tree →

Note

Signify changes y to i: signify, signifies, signified, but signifying. It is a more formal word for «meant» or «showed». In maths, a symbol «signifies» something: the + sign signifies adding.

In Jewish tradition

In these texts it means "meant" or "stood for," used by scholars explaining a word. In the primary lessons: In English lessons it helps say what a symbol, colour or gesture means in a story: «The dark clouds signified danger.» In history it is used for events: «The fall of the wall signified the end of an era.» In language study the word and its idea are called the signifier and the signified. Phrases: signified that, signified the end of, signified agreement.

Examples

• astronomers signified by the word Tali, not the constellation Draco, but the line which joins together the two points in which the orbit of the moon intercepts the ecliptic (Dragon's head and tail). (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• Chaos .signified in the ancient cosmogonies the vacant, in- finite space out of which sprang all things that exist. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Signify changes y to i: signify, signifies, signified, but signifying. It is a more formal word for «meant» or «showed». In maths, a symbol «signifies» something: the + sign signifies adding.