Etymograph

English

obsignate

Obsignate comes from Latin obsignātus ‘sealed up’, from obsignō ‘to seal’, and ultimately from Proto-Italic *segnom ‘sign’.

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnom1‘sign’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnāō1reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignō2‘to mark, stamp, imprint’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobsignō3‘to seal’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobsignātus3‘sealed up’perfect passive participle of obsignō
  6. Englishearliest quotation a. 1678obsignate3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin signo
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin obsigno
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English obsignate
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1678, Isaac Barrow, (please specify the chapter name or sermon number): “As circumcision was a seal of the covenant made…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnomWiktionary, Latin signo‘sign’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnāōWiktionary, Latin signoreconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignōWiktionary, Latin obsigno‘to mark, stamp, imprint’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobsignōWiktionary, English obsignate‘to seal’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobsignātusWiktionary, English obsignate‘sealed up’perfect passive participle of obsignō
  6. Englishearliest quotation a. 1678obsignateWiktionary, English obsignate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: a. 1678, Isaac Barrow, (please specify the chapter name or sermon number): “As circumcision was a seal of the covenant made…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’

saw, sex, risk, section, ship, sexual, segment, sack, signal, significance, insect, scarlet, sawyer, sealing, sax, het, shingle, sickle, dissect, scythe, ensign, signify, insignia, sich, seg, sedge, signet, brassica, desiccation, desiccant, signification, 47 more

through Proto-Italic *segnom ‘sign’

significant, sign, seal, sigil, 19 more

through Proto-Italic *segnāō

designation, assignation, 4 more

through Latin signō ‘to mark, stamp, imprint’

design, resign, assign, sain, consign, 6 more

Today it means

verb To seal or ratify.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “obsignate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin signo, Latin obsigno. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Italic *segnom / obsignate

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