Figure vs Sign - What's the difference?
figure | sign | Synonyms |
A drawing or diagram conveying information.
*
The representation of any form, as by drawing, painting, modelling, carving, embroidering, etc.; especially, a representation of the human body.
* Shakespeare
A person or thing representing a certain consciousness.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-28, author=(Joris Luyendijk)
, volume=189, issue=3, page=21, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title= The appearance or impression made by the conduct or career of a person.
* Dryden
* Blackstone
(obsolete) Distinguished appearance; magnificence; conspicuous representation; splendour; show.
* Law
A human figure, which dress or corset must fit to; the shape of a human body.
*
A numeral.
A number.
*
A shape.
* Francis Bacon
*
A visible pattern as in wood or cloth.
A dance figure, a complex dance move(w).
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5
, passage=Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness,
A figure of speech.
* Macaulay
(logic) The form of a syllogism with respect to the relative position of the middle term.
(astrology) A horoscope; the diagram of the aspects of the astrological houses.
(music) Any short succession of notes, either as melody or as a group of chords, which produce a single complete and distinct impression.
(music) A form of melody or accompaniment kept up through a strain or passage; a motif; a florid embellishment.
To solve a mathematical problem.
To come to understand.
To be reasonable.
To enter, be a part of.
(obsolete) To represent by a figure, as to form or mould; to make an image of, either palpable or ideal; also, to fashion into a determinate form; to shape.
* Prior
To embellish with design; to adorn with figures.
* Shakespeare
(obsolete) To indicate by numerals.
* Dryden
To represent by a metaphor; to signify or symbolize.
* Shakespeare
(obsolete) To prefigure; to foreshow.
* Shakespeare
(music) To write over or under the bass, as figures or other characters, in order to indicate the accompanying chords.
(music) To embellish.
(sometimes, also used uncountably) A visible indication.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5
, passage=Although the Celebrity was almost impervious to sarcasm, he was now beginning to exhibit visible signs of uneasiness, the consciousness dawning upon him that his eccentricity was not receiving the ovation it merited.}}
A clearly visible object, generally flat, bearing a short message in words or pictures.
* Macaulay
A traffic sign.
A meaningful gesture.
Any of several specialized non-alphabetic symbols.
(astrology) An astrological sign.
(mathematics) Positive or negative polarity.
A specific gesture or motion used to communicate by those with speaking or hearing difficulties; now specifically, a linguistic unit in sign language equivalent to word in spoken languages.
*, II.12:
* 2007 , Marcel Danesi, The Quest for Meaning :
(uncountable) Sign language in general.
An omen.
(medicine) A property of the body that indicates a disease and, unlike a symptom, is unlikely to be noticed by the patient.
A military emblem carried on a banner or standard.
To make a mark
#
#:The Queen signed her letter with the regal signet.
# To mark, to put or leave a mark on.
#*1726 , Elijah Fenton, The Odyssey of Homer :
#*:Meantime revolving in his thoughtful mind / The scar, with which his manly knee was sign'd […].
# To validate or ratify (a document) by writing one's signature on it.
#*c. 1597 , (William Shakespeare), The Merchant of Venice :
#*:Enquire the Iewes house out, giue him this deed, / And let him signe it […].
# More generally, to write one's signature on (something) as a means of identification etc.
#
#:Just sign your name at the bottom there.
#:I received a letter from some woman who signs herself ‘Mrs Trellis’.
# To write one's signature.
# To finalise a contractual agreement to work for a given sports team, record label etc.
#*2011 , The Guardian , (headline), 18 Oct 2011:
#*:Agents say Wales back Gavin Henson has signed for Cardiff Blues.
# To engage (a sports player, musician etc.) in a contract.
To make the sign of the cross
# To bless (someone or something) with the sign of the cross; to mark with the sign of the cross.
#* Book of Common Prayer
#*:We receive this child into the congregation of Christ's flock, and do sign him with the sign of the cross.
#*1971 , , Religion and the Decline of Magic , Folio Society 2012, p. 34:
#*:At the baptismal ceremony the child was […] signed with the cross in holy water.
# (reflexive) To cross oneself.
#*1855 , (Robert Browning), Men and Women :
#*:Shaking a fist at him with one fierce arm, / Signing himself with the other because of Christ.
To indicate
# To communicate using a gesture or signal.
#* Sir Walter Scott:
# To communicate using gestures to (someone).
#:He signed me that I should follow him through the doorway.
# To use sign language.
# To furnish (a road etc.) with signs.
Figure is a synonym of sign.
As verbs the difference between figure and sign
is that figure is while sign is to make a mark.As an adjective figure
is figurative.As a noun sign is
(sometimes|also used uncountably) a visible indication.figure
English
(wikipedia figure)Noun
(en noun)- a figure''' in bronze; a '''figure cut in marble
- a coin that bears the figure of an angel
Our banks are out of control, passage=Seeing the British establishment struggle with the financial sector is like watching an alcoholic […]. Until 2008 there was denial over what finance had become. When a series of bank failures made this impossible, there was widespread anger, leading to the public humiliation of symbolic figures .}}
- He cut a sorry figure standing there in the rain.
- I made some figure there.
- gentlemen of the best figure in the county
- that he may live in figure and indulgence
- Flowers have all exquisite figures .
- The muslin was of a pretty figure .
- to represent the imagination under the figure of a wing
- (Johnson)
- (Grove)
Derived terms
(Terms derived from the noun) * academy figure * action figure * authority figure * big figure * dark figure * cut a figure * father figure * figure dash * figure eight * figurehead * figureless * figure loom * figure of eight * figure of merit * figure of speech * figure poem * figure skating * four-figure * hate figure * hourglass figure * lay figure * Lissajous figure * mother figure * musical figure * plane figure * public figure * significant figure * snow figure * stick figure * terminal figure * text figure * three-figure * two-figureVerb
(mainly US)- I can't figure if he's telling the truth or lying.
- If love, alas! be pain I bear, / No thought can figure , and no tongue declare.
- The vaulty top of heaven / Figured quite o'er with burning meteors.
- As through a crystal glass the figured hours are seen.
- whose white vestments figure innocence
- In this the heaven figures some event.
Derived terms
* go figure * prefigure * figure out (US)Statistics
*External links
* * ----sign
English
(wikipedia sign)Etymology 1
From (etyl) signe, from (etyl) ; root uncertain.Noun
(en noun)- The shops were, therefore, distinguished by painted signs , which gave a gay and grotesque aspect to the streets.
- And why not, as well as our dumbe men dispute, argue and tell histories by signes ?
- In American Sign Language (ASL), for instance, the sign for 'catch' is formed with one hand (in the role of agent) moving across the body (an action) to grasp the forefinger of the other hand (the patient).
- (Milton)
Derived terms
* air sign * astrological sign * earth sign * fire sign * high sign * Indian sign * minus sign * neon sign * plus sign * road sign * sign language * sign of life * star sign * street sign * traffic sign * vital sign * water signEtymology 2
From (etyl) (seigner), (seiner) et al., (etyl) signer et al., and their source, (etyl) ; see Etymology 1, above. Compare (sain).Verb
(en verb)- I forgot to sign that letter to my aunt.
- Please sign on the dotted line.
- It was a great month. I managed to sign three major players.
- I signed to Browne to make his retreat.
