different between signal vs clue

English

Alternative forms

• signall

Etymology

From Old French segnal, seignal or Medieval Latin sign?le; noun use of the neuter of Late Latin sign?lis, from Latin signum; verb use from 1805, as a shortened from signalize (1650s).

Pronunciation

• enPR: s?g?n?l, IPA^(key): /?s??n?l/
• Hyphenation: sig?nal

Noun

signal (plural signals)

1. A sequence of states representing an encoded message in a communication channel.
2. Any variation of a quantity or change in an entity over time that conveys information upon detection.
3. A sign made to give notice of some occurrence, command, or danger, or to indicate the start of a concerted action.
4. An on-off light, semaphore, or other device used to give an indication to another person.
5. (of a radio, TV, telephone, internet, etc.) An electromagnetic action, normally a voltage that is a function of time, that conveys the information of the radio or TV program or of communication with another party.

   My mobile phone can't get a signal in the railway station.

6. An action, change or process done to convey information and thus reduce uncertainty.
7. A token; an indication; a foreshadowing; a sign.
   • 1722, Daniel Defoe, A Journal of the Plague Year

     There was not the least signal of the calamity to be seen.

8. Useful information, as opposed to noise.
9. (computing, Unix) A simple interprocess communication used to notify a process or thread of an occurrence.
10. (biochemistry) A signalling interaction between cells

Antonyms

• (useful information): noise

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• tocsin

Verb

signal (third-person singular simple present signals, present participle (UK) signalling or (US) signaling, simple past and past participle (UK) signalled or (US) signaled)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To indicate; to convey or communicate by a signal.

2. (transitive) To communicate with (a person or system) by a signal.

   Seeing the flames, he ran to the control room and signalled headquarters.

Derived terms

• missignal
• oversignal
• undersignal

Translations

Adjective

signal (not comparable)

1. Standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement.

   a signal exploit; a signal service; a signal act of benevolence

Synonyms

• eminent, noteworthy, significant; see also Thesaurus:important or Thesaurus:notable

Related terms

• signature (adjective)

Anagrams

• Saling, algins, aligns, lasing, liangs, lingas

Danish

Etymology

From Medieval Latin signale

Noun

signal n (singular definite signalet, plural indefinite signaler)

1. a signal

References

• “signal” in Den Danske Ordbog

French

Etymology

Re-latinization of Old French segnal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Late Latin sign?lis, from Latin signum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /si.?al/

Noun

signal m (plural signaux)

1. signal

Related terms

• signe

Further reading

• “signal” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• lignas

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Medieval Latin signale

Noun

signal n (definite singular signalet, indefinite plural signal or signaler, definite plural signala or signalene)

1. a signal

Derived terms

References

• “signal” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Medieval Latin signale

Noun

signal n (definite singular signalet, indefinite plural signal, definite plural signala)

1. a signal

Derived terms

References

• “signal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Romanian

Etymology

From French signal.

Noun

signal n (plural signale)

1. signal

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From German Signal, from Medieval Latin signale, from Latin signum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /s??na?l/
• Hyphenation: sig?nal

Noun

sìgn?l m (Cyrillic spelling ???????)

1. signal

Declension

References

• “signal” in Hrvatski jezi?ni portal

Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

signal c

1. a signal

Declension

Anagrams

• inslag, ligans, singla, slinga

Vilamovian

Etymology

From Old French segnal, seignal or Medieval Latin sign?le, noun use of the neuter of Late Latin sign?lis, from Latin signum.

Pronunciation

Noun

signal n (plural signale)

1. signal

English

Etymology

Variant of clew (“a ball of thread or yarn”), from Middle English clewe, from Old English cl?ewen (“ball”), from Proto-Germanic *kliuw?n?, *klewô (“ball, bale”), from Proto-Indo-European *glew- (“to amass, conglomerate; clump, ball, bale”). Sense evolution with reference to the one which the mythical Theseus used to guide him out of the Minotaur's labyrinth. More at clew.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /klu?/
• (obsolete) IPA^(key): /klju?/
• Rhymes: -u?
• Homophone: clew

Noun

clue (plural clues)

1. (now rare) A strand of yarn etc. as used to guide one through a labyrinth; something which points the way, a guide.
2. Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion.

3. An object or a kind of indication which may be used as evidence.

4. Insight or understanding ("to have a clue [about]" or "to have clue". See have a clue, clue stick)

Synonyms

• (information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion): hint, indication, suggestion
• (object or indication which may be used as evidence): signature
• (understanding): idea

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• evidence
• red herring

Verb

clue (third-person singular simple present clues, present participle cluing or clueing, simple past and past participle clued)

1. To provide with a clue.

2. To provide someone with information which he or she lacks (often used with "in" or "up").

Derived terms

• clue in
• clued up

Translations

References

Anagrams

• Luce, leuc-, luce

Latin

Verb

clu?

1. second-person singular present active imperative of clue?

Middle English

Noun

clue

1. Alternative form of clewe