semiotics

[ see-mee-ot-iks, sem-ee-, see-mahy- ]
See synonyms for semiotics on Thesaurus.com
noun(used with a singular verb)
  1. the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior; the analysis of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or clothing.

  2. a general theory of signs and symbolism, usually divided into the branches of pragmatics, semantics, and syntactics.

Origin of semiotics

1
First recorded in 1875–80; see origin at semiotic, -ics

Other words from semiotics

  • se·mi·o·ti·cian [see-mee-uh-tish-uhn, sem-ee-, see-mahy-], /ˌsi mi əˈtɪʃ ən, ˌsɛm i-, ˌsi maɪ-/, noun

Words Nearby semiotics

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use semiotics in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for semiotics

semiotics

semeiotics

/ (ˌsɛmɪˈɒtɪks, ˌsiːmɪ-) /


noun(functioning as singular)
  1. the study of signs and symbols, esp the relations between written or spoken signs and their referents in the physical world or the world of ideas: See also semantics, syntactics, pragmatics

  2. the scientific study of the symptoms of disease; symptomatology

  • Also: semiology, semeiology

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012