What is the Latin word for sign?

The usual Latin words for “sign” are signum, īnsigne, nōtus; also indicium, vestīgium, ostendō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“sign” in Latin

signumvisible indication: sign, mark, signal; seal, signet; emblem, ensign īnsignea distinguishing mark, emblem, badge; an ensign, an honour, a badge of honour; a coat of arms nōtusfamiliar, customary, in common use; widely known, famous, well-known; of great renown, illustrious, celebrated, notoriou indiciuminformation, evidence, discovery, notice; reward for information; indication, sign, proof, token vestīgiumfootprint, track; trace, vestige, mark, sign; sole of the foot ostendōto expose to view, exhibit, show; to reveal, expose, make known; to explain, clarify prōdigiumomen, portent, prophetic sign; prodigy, wonder portendōto indicate, point out; to predict, foretell, portend ōmenomen, sign, harbinger, portent, token (an object or occurrence believed to portend or predict a future event, circumstan auguriumaugury; divination, prediction; omen, portent

The English word sign itself goes back to Latin signum.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

sign s.

A mark, token, signum (general term): insigne (a characteristic mark): nota (mark made on anything to distinguish it): indicium (indication); (The words are found in this connection and order.) indicium atque insigne: vestigium (track); (The words are found in this connection and order.) nota et vestigium; of anything, alicujus rei: the proper sign of anything, alicujus rei insigne proprium et peculiare; proprium alicujus rei: to mark with a sign, notam apponere alicui rei; aliquid notare; with anything, aliqua re (e.g., columnas creta): are these the signs of a rich, or of a poor man? haec utrum abundantis, an egentis signa sunt? the sign (criterion) of true and false, veri et falsi nota; insigne veri: to bear the signs of anything on one’s self, vestigiis alicujus rei notatum esse; aliquid prae se ferre (e.g., maerorem): sign of the Cross [Vid: CROSS].

Presage, portent, signum: indicium (an indication): ostentum: prodigium: portentum (ostentum, general term, any uncommon appearance interpreted as significant of the future: prodigium and portentum referring to the distant future; prodigium, any extraordinary appearance of nature; portentum, anything which portends, especially misfortune): omen (anything heard or seen accidentally, from which one forebodes good or evil): augurium (drawn from the flight of birds): A good sign, omen bonum, dextrum, secundum, faustum: a bad sign, omen triste, foedum, funestum: to accept a sign, be satisfied with it, omen accipere; placet omen.

Anything hung out at a door, etc., perhaps titulus. The sign over your door is, *superpositus est cellae tuae titulus:

Constellation, Vid:

Signature, Vid:

Miracle, Vid.

sign v.

To signify, to be a sign or token, significare: declarare.

To mark with characters, with one’s name, aliquid subnotare (to mark at the foot of anything; e.g., one’s name): nomen suum notare alicui rei (to put one’s name to anything; e.g., to a letter, epistolae, Flor., 2, 12, 10): subscribere (to sign, to confirm by one’s signature; with accusative and dative; with the latter if = to accede to anything). To sign one’s name, nomen subscribere, or subscribere simply: to sign a document; Vid: DOCUMENT.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for sign?: The usual Latin words for “sign” are signum, īnsigne, nōtus; also indicium, vestīgium, ostendō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.