significer

Significer is a rarely used English noun formed from the verb signify plus the agent suffix -er. In contemporary reference works, the term is not standard and has no widely accepted definition. Most writers who encounter it treat significer as a misspelling or anglicized variant of significator, signifier, or signification, depending on context. Because of this ambiguity, the word is typically defined only by its usage in a particular text rather than by a fixed semantic field.

In speculative or fictional writing, a significer may denote an agent or mechanism that conveys meaning or marks an event as significant. In rhetorical or symbolic contexts, it can be used to refer to something that signals or indicates importance, such as an object or gesture that serves as a cue. In linguistic or semiotic discussions, however, significer is usually the standard term, referring to the sign's form in the signifier-signified relationship, whereas significator is often used in astrology or divination to denote a planet or sign representing a person or situation. The form significer, when used, is almost always a neologism or error rather than a canonical term.

The word likely derives from the verb signify combined with the agentive suffix -er. Related terms include signifier, significator, signification, and significance.