# signum

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈsɪɡnəm/

## Definitions
1. A sign, mark, or symbol.
2. A medieval tower bell used particularly for ringing the eight canonical hours.
3. A function that extracts the sign of a real number x, yielding −1 if x is negative, +1 if x is positive, or 0 if x is zero.

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin signum. Doublet of sign.

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