sign
n. countablen. something that shows you a fact or a feeling. It can be a physical board with words, a movement you make with your hands, or a mark that tells you what to do.
n. a physical object, gesture, or mark that conveys information, instructions, or evidence of a condition.
The road sign says we must turn left here.
The doctor looked for any sign of infection before deciding whether to prescribe medicine.
Linguists distinguish between the signifier, which is the physical form of a sign, and the signified, which is the mental concept it represents within a specific culture.
From Middle English signe, sygne, syng, seine, sine, syne, from Old English seġn (“sign; mark; token”) and Old French signe, seing (“sign; mark; signature”); both from Latin signum (“a mark; sign; token”); root uncertain. Doublet of signum. Partially displaced native token.
From Middle English signen, seinen, seinien, partly from Old English seġnian (“to mark; sign”) and partly from Anglo-Norman seigner, seiner et al., Old French signer et al., and their source Latin signāre (“to mark, seal, indicate, signify”); all from Latin signum (“a mark, sign”); see Etymology 1, above. Compare sain.
Often followed by the preposition 'of' when referring to evidence or symptoms.
There was no sign for himThere was no sign of himWhen 'sign' means evidence that someone or something exists or is present, it takes the preposition 'of' rather than 'for'.