Signing

How to spell signing

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce signing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does signing mean?

1. verbThe act of writing one's name on a document to authorise or agree to it.
2. verbCommunicating using a sign language of hand shapes and gestures.
3. nounA person newly recruited to a team or label, or the act of recruiting them.

Signing in a sentence

• verb

  The solicitor explained each clause before signing the contract.

• verb

  The interpreter stood beside the stage, signing every word of the speech.

• noun

  The club's latest signing scored on his debut.

• verb

  Signing the mortgage paperwork took the whole afternoon.

• verb

  He learned the alphabet for signing so he could chat with his deaf colleague.

• noun

  The record label announced its newest signing at the showcase.

Where does signing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word grows out of the verb 'sign', which English took from the Old French signer and ultimately from the Latin signum, meaning a mark, token, or sign. In Roman use signum could mean a military standard, a seal, or any distinguishing mark, and from the idea of marking something came the sense of writing one's name to authorise it. English added the native '-ing' ending to form the present participle and verbal noun, giving 'signing' for the act of putting a signature to something. The silent 'g' that haunts 'sign' becomes audible once '-ing' is attached, which is exactly why the spelling keeps that 'g' even though the base word seems not to need it. The same signum root also feeds 'signal', 'signature', and 'design', all of which preserve that telltale 'g'.

How the word is built

• sign (from Latin signum: mark, token)
• -ing (verb/noun-forming suffix)