signal

B1 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈsɪɡnəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #1769

Meanings

1

noun
A sound, gesture, or light used to give information, a warning, or an order.

The teacher raised her hand as a signal for everyone to be quiet.
2

noun
The electrical waves a radio, phone, or TV picks up to carry sound or pictures.

My phone can't get a signal in the railway station.
3

verb
To make something known using a gesture, light, or sound.

I signalled my agreement with a nod.
4

noun
Something that shows a change or event is about to happen.

They awaited the signal to start.
5

adj
Remarkable or clearly out of the ordinary.

The year saw one signal triumph for the party.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a sound, gesture, or light... signsignaling

Opposites

noise

Word family

Forms Signallerssignaledsignalersignalingsignalledsignallingsignallysignals

Derived forms countersignalforesignalhand-signalimmunosignalmissignaloversignalphosphosignalresignalsignalisesignalizesignallerundersignal

Related forms signature signet tocsin

Appears in

Phrases (4)

See all

signal the beginning
To indicate that something is about to start

Verb + noun
signal caller
the quarterback who directs a team's offensive play in American football

Noun + noun
signal detection
the process of determining whether a signal is present

Noun + noun
signal strength
the power or intensity of a received signal

Noun + noun

Etymology

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). Doublet of signum and sign.

*sek- Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- Proto-Indo-European segnal Old French signāle la-med signālis la-lat signum Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# signal

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun, verb, adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈsɪɡnəl/
**Frequency rank:** 1769

## Meanings
1. A sound, gesture, or light used to give information, a warning, or an order.
2. The electrical waves a radio, phone, or TV picks up to carry sound or pictures.
3. To make something known using a gesture, light, or sound.
4. Something that shows a change or event is about to happen.
5. Remarkable or clearly out of the ordinary.

## Examples
- The teacher raised her hand as a signal for everyone to be quiet.
- My phone can't get a signal in the railway station.
- I signalled my agreement with a nod.
- They awaited the signal to start.
- The year saw one signal triumph for the party.

## Antonyms
- noise

## Derived Forms
- countersignal
- foresignal
- hand-signal
- immunosignal
- missignal
- oversignal
- phosphosignal
- resignal
- signalise
- signalize
- signaller
- undersignal

## Related Forms
- signature
- signet
- tocsin

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *sek-
- Root: *sekʷ-
- Root: segnal
- Root: signāle
- Root: signālis
- Root: signum

## Etymology
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). Doublet of signum and sign.

## AI Etymology
Signal is 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). Doublet of signum and sign. Important forms in the word's history include Proto-Indo-European *sek-, Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-, Old French segnal, la-med signāle, la-lat signālis, Latin signum. In current use it includes senses such as A sound, gesture, or light used to give information, a warning, or an order and The electrical waves a radio, phone, or TV picks up to carry sound or pictures.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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