Standard Lemma guide

siglum

noun · 2 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.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɪɡləm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɪɡlə/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A letter or other symbol that stands for a name or word; specifically, one used in a modern literary work to refer to an early version of a text.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A thing which represents something else; a sign, a symbol.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin siglum (“abbreviation”), possibly a contracted form of: * sigillum (“figurine, statuette; seal”), from signum (“figure, statue; seal, signet; mark, sign”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut, sever; to cut off”) or *sekw- (“to follow”)) + -ulum (diminutive suffix); or * singulum, a singular form of singulus (“apiece; every; single”, adjective), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; together”). The plural form sigla is a learned borrowing from Late Latin sigla.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: lyhennysmerkki — letter or other symbol that stands for a name or word
  • German: Sigel — letter or other symbol that stands for a name or word
  • German: Kürzel — letter or other symbol that stands for a name or word
  • Macedonian: си́гла (sígla) — letter or other symbol that stands for a name or word
  • Macedonian: знак (znak) — letter or other symbol that stands for a name or word