significados

Significados is the plural form of significado in Spanish and Portuguese, meaning meanings or significations. In linguistics and semiotics, significado refers to the content or sense associated with a sign, word, or symbol, as distinct from its form or physical manifestation (significante, in Saussurean theory). The meaning of a sign can be analyzed as denotative (reference or sense) and connotative (associated ideas, feelings, or cultural context). The concept is central to theories of semantics, lexical semantics, and pragmatics, and is commonly used to discuss polysemy, ambiguity, and translation.

Etymology: from Latin significatus, the past participle of significare, meaning to indicate or point out. The term entered Romance languages in the medieval and early modern periods and is used widely in education, lexicography, and the humanities.

In usage, significados are discussed at multiple levels: the meaning of individual words (significados de una palabra), the sense of phrases and expressions, and the broader cultural or contextual meanings attached to signs. Dictionaries present significados as entries that capture common senses and, in some cases, figurative meanings. The plural form is often used when comparing multiple meanings across contexts, languages, or dialects.

Examples: "El significado de la palabra banco puede ser una institución financiera o un asiento, dependiendo del contexto." In Portuguese: "Os significados de palavras como banco variam conforme o uso."