signature
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.your name written in your own special way to sign a document.
n.a person's name written by their own hand, used as a formal mark of identification or authorization.
Simple“Please put your signature at the bottom of the contract.”
In context“The bank teller carefully compared the signature on the cheque with the one they had on file to prevent fraud.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a special style or quality that is typical of a particular person or thing.
n.a distinctive characteristic or pattern that identifies a particular person, group, or thing.
Simple“The chef's signature dish is a spicy seafood pasta.”
In context“The director's signature style involves long, unbroken shots and a very muted colour palette.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.symbols at the start of a piece of music that show the key or the rhythm.
n.signs placed on the stave to indicate the key (key signature) or the meter (time signature) of a composition.
Simple“The piece is difficult to play because the time signature changes in every bar.”
In context“The composer chose a complex key signature with five sharps, creating a bright and energetic tonal quality.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.electronic data added to a message to prove who sent it.
n.a digital code or pattern used to authenticate the identity of a sender or the integrity of a file.
Simple“The software won't install because it doesn't have a valid digital signature.”
In context“The antivirus program scans for specific file signatures to identify and isolate malicious code before it can execute.”
Synonyms - 05 B1 Intermediate
n.the text at the end of an email that has your contact details.
n.a block of text automatically appended to the end of an electronic message, typically containing the sender's name and contact information.
Simple“I forgot to update my phone number in my email signature.”
In context“The company policy requires all employees to include a standard legal disclaimer in their professional email signatures.”
Synonyms - 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describing something that is a person's most famous or typical feature.
adj.serving as a distinctive or identifying characteristic of a person or thing.
Simple“She finished the performance with her signature move.”
In context“The architect's signature curves are visible in almost every building he designed during that decade.”
Usageusually placed before the noun
Usage signatures associated
“Chelsea told interested parties they had until 17:00 BST on Friday to make an offer for the 25-year-old - with them wanting £120m for his signature.”
“One problem, though, was that Peeters was well known for signing her works, and the Oslo piece had no signature.”
Borrowed from Middle French signature, or from Medieval Latin signātūra, future active periphrastic of verb signāre from signum (“sign”), + -tūra, feminine of -tūrus, future active periphrastic suffix. Displaced native Old English handseten (literally “hand setting”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.