signifi

Signifi is not a standalone entry in standard English dictionaries. It most often appears as the stem in a family of words derived from the Latin significare, including signify, significant, significance, and significant-related forms such as insignificance and significantly. In these words, the sequence signifi- carries the core sense of indicating meaning or importance, with different English affixes altering tense, mood, or part of speech.

Etymology and derivation

The root derives from Latin significare, meaning to indicate, mean, or signify. This in turn comes from signum, meaning mark or sign, combined with a suffix form that conveys making or causing. Through Old French and then English, the root evolved into words that express the act of conveying meaning or importance.

Usage and notes

In modern writing, signifi- appears as part of regular derivations (signify, significant, significance, significantly). The abbreviation signif. is commonly used in statistical or scientific contexts to denote significance, such as in tables or notes. The exact form signifi without a period is less standard and may appear informally, but most style guides prefer the period-terminated abbreviation signif. for “significant” or “significance.”

See also

Signify, Significant, Significance, Signification, Signifier. These related terms cover the range of meaning from indicating to denoting importance and the broader linguistic and statistical uses associated with the root.