noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˌsɛm.iˈɒt.ɪks/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:/ˌsɛm.iˈɑt.ɪks/
US:/ˌsiː.miˈɑt.ɪks/
US:/ˌsiː.maɪˈɑt.ɪks/
CMU ARPABET:S EH2 M IY0 AA1 T IH0 K S
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The study of signs and symbols, especially as means of language or communication.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The study of medical signs and symptoms; symptomatology.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dated, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
(philosophy) a philosophical theory of the functions of signs and symbols
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: semiology
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: philosophical doctrine, philosophical theory
History
Etymology
Coined by John Locke from Ancient Greek σημειωτικός (sēmeiōtikós, “fitted for marking, portending”), from σημειόω (sēmeióō, “to mark, interpret as a portend”), from σημεῖον (sēmeîon, “a mark, sign, token”), from σῆμα (sêma, “mark, sign”).
Across languages
Translations
38 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
semiotika
— study of signs
Arabic:
سميوطيقا
— study of signs
Armenian:
նշանագիտություն
(nšanagitutʻyun)
— study of signs
Azerbaijani:
semiotika
— study of signs
Catalan:
semiòtica
— study of signs
Chinese Mandarin:
符號語言學 /符号语言学
(fúhào yǔyánxué)
— study of signs
Chinese Mandarin:
符號學 /符号学
(fúhàoxué)
— study of signs
Chinese Mandarin:
記號學 /记号学
(jìhaoxué)
— study of signs
Czech:
sémiotika
— study of signs
Danish:
semiotik
— study of signs
Dutch:
semiotiek
— study of signs
Esperanto:
semiotiko
— study of signs
Finnish:
semiotiikka
— study of signs
French:
sémiotique
— study of signs
Georgian:
სემიოტიკა
(semioṭiḳa)
— study of signs
German:
Semiotik
— study of signs
Greek:
σημειολογία
(simeiología)
— study of signs
Hindi:
संकेतविज्ञान
(saṅketvijñān)
— study of signs
Indonesian:
ilmu tanda
— study of signs
Indonesian:
semiotika
— study of signs
Interlingua:
semiotica
— study of signs
Italian:
semiotica
— study of signs
Japanese:
記号論
(kigōron)
— study of signs
Norwegian Bokmål:
semiotikk
— study of signs
Norwegian Nynorsk:
semiotikk
— study of signs
Occitan:
semiotica
— study of signs
Persian:
نشانهشناسی
(nešâne-šenâsi)
— study of signs
