countersign

C2+ Topic:Time

US /ˈkaʊntɚˌsaɪn/ UK /ˈkaʊntəsaɪn/ See IPA manual

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
a secret password, or to add a second signature for authentication

The sentry demanded the countersign before lifting the gate.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a secret password, or to... password watchword shibboleth endorse ratify

Word family

Related forms counter sign signature signal

Etymology

From 'counter-' ('in return, against') plus 'sign'. 'Sign' is from Old French 'signe', from Latin 'signum' ('mark, token').

contra Latin signum Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Time

# countersign

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** ˈkaʊntɚˌsaɪn
**IPA (UK):** ˈkaʊntəsaɪn

## Meanings
1. a secret password, or to add a second signature for authentication

## Examples
- The sentry demanded the countersign before lifting the gate.

## Synonyms
- password
- watchword
- shibboleth
- endorse
- ratify

## Related Forms
- counter
- sign
- signature
- signal

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: contra
- Root: signum

## Etymology
From 'counter-' ('in return, against') plus 'sign'. 'Sign' is from Old French 'signe', from Latin 'signum' ('mark, token').

## AI Etymology
Countersign is from 'counter-' ('in return, against') plus 'sign'. 'Sign' is from Old French 'signe', from Latin 'signum' ('mark, token'). The ancestry passes through Latin contra and Latin signum. The prefix counter- contributes opposition, response, or matching action, helping to explain the word's surface structure. In present use as noun and verb, it means "a secret password, or to add a second signature for authentication", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include counter, sign, signature, and signal.

## Topics
- Time

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countersign

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