n. The quality of being assignable. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being assigned, allotted, specified, or designated; as, an assignable note or bill; an assignable reason; an assignable quantity. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. assignat, fr. L. assignatus, p. p. of assignare. ] One of the notes, bills, or bonds, issued as currency by the revolutionary government of France (1790-1796), and based on the security of the lands of the church and of nobles which had been appropriated by the state. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. assignatio, fr. assignare: cf. F. assignation. ] 1. The act of assigning or allotting; apportionment. [ 1913 Webster ]

This order being taken in the senate, as touching the appointment and assignation of those provinces. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An appointment of time and place for meeting or interview; -- used chiefly of love interviews, and now commonly in a bad sense. [ 1913 Webster ]

While nymphs take treats, or assignations give. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A making over by transfer of title; assignment. [ 1913 Webster ]

House of assignation, a house in which appointments for sexual intercourse are fulfilled. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Railroads) One of the danger signals or safety signals which guide the movement of trains in a block system. The signal is often so coupled with a switch that act of opening or closing the switch operates the signal also. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. [ Cf. Consignitary. ] A consignee. [ Obs. ] Jenkins. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. consignatio written proof, document: cf. F. consignation comsignation. ] 1. The act of consigning; the act of delivering or committing to another person, place, or state. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

So is despair a certain consignation to eternal ruin. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of ratifying or establishing, as if by signing; confirmation; ratification. [ 1913 Webster ]

A direct consignation of pardon. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A stamp; an indication; a sign. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The most certain consignations of an excellent virtue. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Consignitary. ] One of several that jointly sign a written instrument, as a treaty. Fallows. [ 1913 Webster ]

135), n. Joint signature. [ R. ] Colgrave. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a second confirming signature endorsing a document already signed.
Syn. -- countersign. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Capable of being designated or distinctly marked out; distinguishable. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. designatus, p. p. of designare. See Design, v. t. ] Designated; appointed; chosen. [ R. ] Sir G. Buck. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Designated; p. pr. & vb. n. Designating. ] 1. To mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to indicate; to show; to distinguish by marks or description; to specify; as, to designate the boundaries of a country; to designate the rioters who are to be arrested. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To call by a distinctive title; to name. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty; -- with to or for; as, to designate an officer for or to the command of a post or station.

Syn. -- To name; denominate; style; entitle; characterize; describe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. designatio: cf. F. désignation. ] 1. The act of designating; a pointing out or showing; indication. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Selection and appointment for a purpose; allotment; direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. That which designates; a distinguishing mark or name; distinctive title; appellation. [ 1913 Webster ]

The usual designation of the days of the week. Whewell. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Use or application; import; intention; signification, as of a word or phrase. [ 1913 Webster ]

Finite and infinite seem . . . to be attributed primarily, in their first designation, only to those things which have parts. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Cf. F. désignatif. ] Serving to designate or indicate; pointing out. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) An officer who assigned to each his rank and place in public shows and ceremonies. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who designates. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Serving to designate; designative; indicating. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a loud low warning sound that can be heard by fog-bound ships; a foghorn.
Syn. -- foghorn. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

. (Meteor.) A signal consisting of a white flag with a black center, used by the United States Weather Bureau to indicate that a local frost is expected. It is used only in Florida and along the coasts of the Pacific and the Gulf Mexico. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. [ L. obsignated, p. p. of obsignare to seal. See Ob-, and Sign. ] To seal; to ratify. [ Obs. ] Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. obsignatio. ] The act of sealing or ratifying; the state of being sealed or confirmed; confirmation, as by the Holy Spirit. [ 1913 Webster ]

The spirit of manifestation will but upbraid you in the shame and horror of a sad eternity, if you have not the spirit of obsignation. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Ratifying; confirming by sealing. [ Obs. ] Samuel Ward (1643) [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Logic) A term used by Sir William Hamilton to define propositions having their quantity indicated by a verbal sign; as, all, none, etc.; -- contrasted with preindesignate, defining propositions of which the quantity is not so indicated. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Logic.) Having no sign expressive of quantity; indefinite. See Predesignate. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. résignation. See Resign. ] 1. The act of resigning or giving up, as a claim, possession, office, or the like; surrender; as, the resignation of a crown or commission. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The state of being resigned or submissive; quiet or patient submission; unresisting acquiescence; as, resignation to the will and providence of God. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Patience; surrender; relinquishment; forsaking; abandonment; abdication; renunciation; submission; acquiescence; endurance. See Patience. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Suitable to be signed; requiring signature; as, a legal document signable by a particular person. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Signaled i>or Signalled; p. pr. & vb. n. Signaling or Signalling. ] 1. To communicate by signals; as, to signal orders. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To notify by a signals; to make a signal or signals to; as, to signal a fleet to anchor. M. Arnold. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F., fr. LL. signale, fr. L. signum. See Sign, n. ] 1. A sign made for the purpose of giving notice to a person of some occurence, command, or danger; also, a sign, event, or watchword, which has been agreed upon as the occasion of concerted action. [ 1913 Webster ]

All obeyed
The wonted signal and superior voice
Of this great potentate. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A token; an indication; a foreshadowing; a sign; anything taken as evidence of some process. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

The weary sun . . .
Gives signal of a goodly day to-morrow. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

There was not the least signal of the calamity to be seen. De Foc. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Hence: (Electronics) A measureable electrical quantity, such as voltage or current, that conveys information by varying in magnitude over time; as, the signals from the strongest commercial radio stations can be received over hundreds of miles. [ PJC ]

a. [ From signal, n.: cf. F. signalé. ] 1. Noticeable; distinguished from what is ordinary; eminent; remarkable; memorable; as, a signal exploit; a signal service; a signal act of benevolence. [ 1913 Webster ]

As signal now in low, dejected state
As erst in highest, behold him where he lies. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Of or pertaining to signals, or the use of signals in conveying information; as, a signal flag or officer. [ 1913 Webster ]

The signal service, a bureau of the government (in the United States connected with the War Department) organized to collect from the whole country simultaneous raports of local meteorological conditions, upon comparison of which at the central office, predictions concerning the weather are telegraphed to various sections, where they are made known by signals publicly displayed. --
Signal station, the place where a signal is displayed; specifically, an observation office of the signal service. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Eminent; remarkable; memorable; extraordinary; notable; conspicuous. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who makes signals; one who communicates intelligence by means of signals. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality or state of being signal or remarkable. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Signalized p. pr. & vb. n. Signalizing ] [ From Signal, a. ] 1. To make signal or eminent; to render distinguished from what is common; to distinguish. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is this passion which drives men to all the ways we see in use of signalizing themselves. Burke. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To communicate with by means of a signal; as, a ship signalizes its consort. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To indicate the existence, presence, or fact of, by a signal; as, to signalize the arrival of a steamer. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a signal manner; eminently. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. -men A man whose business is to manage or display signals; especially, one employed in setting the signals by which railroad trains are run or warned. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of signaling, or of signalizing; hence, description by peculiar, appropriate, or characteristic marks. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Electronics, Information science, Experimental science) The ratio of the intensity of a signal{ 2 } to the background noise detected by a measuring instrument, especially in a communications channel; the higher the ratio, the more accurately the information contained can be interpreted. The term is applied not only to human communications, but to the detection of information in any system that is being studied to gain knowledge; as, the signal-to-noise ratio of light signals in older optic fibers drops to an unusable level after several miles.. [ PJC ]

a. [ L. signatus, p. p. See Sign, v. t. ] (Zool.) Having definite color markings. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. signatio. See Sign, v. t. ] Sign given; marking. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. signatorius. ] 1. Relating to a seal; used in sealing. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Signing; joining or sharing in a signature; as, signatory powers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. -ries A signer; one who signs or subscribes; as, a conference of signatories. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. (cf. It. signatura, segnatura, Sp. & LL. signatura), from L. signare, signatum. See Sign, v. t. ] 1. A sign, stamp, or mark impressed, as by a seal. [ 1913 Webster ]

The brain, being well furnished with various traces, signatures, and images. I. Watts. [ 1913 Webster ]

The natural and indelible signature of God, which human souls . . . are supposed to be stamped with. Bentley. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Especially, the name of any person, written with his own hand, employed to signify that the writing which precedes accords with his wishes or intentions; a sign manual; an autograph. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Physiol.) An outward mark by which internal characteristics were supposed to be indicated. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some plants bear a very evident signature of their nature and use. Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Old Med.) A resemblance between the external characters of a disease and those of some physical agent, for instance, that existing between the red skin of scarlet fever and a red cloth; -- supposed to indicate this agent in the treatment of the disease. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Mus.) The designation of the key (when not C major, or its relative, A minor) by means of one or more sharps or flats at the beginning of the staff, immediately after the clef, affecting all notes of the same letter throughout the piece or movement. Each minor key has the same signature as its relative major. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Print.) (a) A letter or figure placed at the bottom of the first page of each sheet of a book or pamphlet, as a direction to the binder in arranging and folding the sheets. (b) The printed sheet so marked, or the form from which it is printed; as, to reprint one or more signatures. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Star signatures (as A*, 1*) are the same characters, with the addition of asterisks, used on the first pages of offcuts, as in 12mo sheets. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Pharm.) That part of a prescription which contains the directions to the patient. It is usually prefaced by S or Sig. (an abbreviation for the Latin signa, imperative of signare to sign or mark). [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To mark with, or as with, a signature or signatures. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who holds to the doctrine of signatures impressed upon objects, indicative of character or qualities. [ Obs. ] Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. subsignatio. ] The act of writing the name under something, as for attestation. [ R. ] Shelton. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Music) A sign at the beginning of a composition or movement, placed after the key signature, to indicate its time or meter. Also called rhythmical signature. It is in the form of a fraction, of which the denominator indicates the kind of note taken as time unit for the beat, and the numerator, the number of these to the measure. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

{ or } [ After Lieut. Samuel W. Very, who invented the system in 1877. ] (Naut.) A system of signaling in which balls of red and green fire are fired from a pistol, the arrangement in groups denoting numbers having a code significance. The pistol used to fire the signal flare is called a
Very pistol. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC ]

. Any signal giving information about the weather. The system used by the United States Weather Bureau includes temperature, cold or hot wave, rain or snow, wind direction, storm, and hurricane signals. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

. In general, any signal announcing information concerning winds, and esp. the expected approach of winds whose direction and force are dangerous to shipping, etc. The wind-signal system of the United States Weather Bureau consists of storm, information, hurricane, hot wind, and inland storm signals. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]