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“Sign” or “Sine” or “Syne”

sign / sine / syne are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

sign s·AY·n

  • nouna perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened).
  • nouna public display of a message.
  • noun(medicine) any objective evidence of the presence of a disorder or disease.
  • nouna gesture that is part of a sign language.
  • nouna fundamental linguistic unit linking a signifier to that which is signified; --de Saussure.
  • nouna character indicating a relation between quantities.
  • verbmark with one's signature; write one's name (on).
  • verbapprove and express assent, responsibility, or obligation.
  • verbbe engaged by a written agreement.
  • verbengage by written agreement.
  • verbcommunicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs.
  • verbplace signs, as along a road.
  • verbcommunicate in sign language.

sine s·AY·n

  • nounratio of the length of the side opposite the given angle to the length of the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle.

syne

No dictionary entry for this spelling — see the usage examples below for how it shows up in writing.

Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“sign”

  • he returned to CPSL to sign with the Metro Lions, where
  • Finland did not sign the updated 1929 Third Geneva
  • widely speculated that Morris would sign with the Sounders, the club
  • equipped with a similar enamel sign.
  • A stop sign is a traffic sign, usually
  • The yield sign, but not the yield traffic
  • Kinetic Chemicals in 1938.1939 Yield signIn road transport, a yield sign
  • so they told him: 'Just sign here'.
  • 1890 Stop sign
  • alterations made to the stop sign, the current version with white

“sine”

  • subtypes), as well as the sine (a.k.a.
  • and the sign of the sine term are a matter of
  • different forms of the discrete cosine and sine transforms.
  • Jazzová & Josef remain the sine qua non of its publication,
  • Skogen stend, men han skiftar sine tre.
  • Sine, Line, Plane, Circle and Boolean
  • floating-point unit might tabulate the sine function in order to facilitate
  • Sine – Kingdom of Sine
  • the President due to the sine die adjournment of the 113th
  • Super Sine

“syne”

  • the world are, "Auld Lang Syne"; "A Red, Red Rose"; "A
  • (1929), "Auld Lang Syne" (uncredited), and "China Boy" (1922)

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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