# siglum

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsɪɡləm/

## Definitions
1. A letter or other symbol that stands for a name or word; specifically, one used in a modern literary work to refer to an early version of a text.
2. A thing which represents something else; a sign, a symbol.

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from Late Latin siglum (“abbreviation”), possibly a contracted form of:
* sigillum (“figurine, statuette; seal”), from signum (“figure, statue; seal, signet; mark, sign”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut, sever; to cut off”) or *sekʷ- (“to follow”)) + -ulum (diminutive suffix); or
* singulum, a singular form of singulus (“apiece; every; single”, adjective), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; together”).
The plural form sigla is a learned borrowing from Late Latin sigla.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/siglum