English
sigil
Sigil comes from Latin sigillum ‘little sign’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sek-1‘to cut’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnom1‘sign’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignum2‘sign’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsigillum3‘little sign’
- Englishtodaysigil3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin signum
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin sigillum
- 3 Wiktionary, English sigil
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sek-Wiktionary, Latin signum‘to cut’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*segnomWiktionary, Latin signum‘sign’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsignumWiktionary, Latin sigillum‘sign’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsigillumWiktionary, English sigil‘little sign’
- EnglishtodaysigilWiktionary, English sigil
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’
saw, sex, risk, section, ship, sexual, segment, sack, insect, scarlet, sawyer, designation, sax, het, shingle, dissect, sickle, scythe, seg, sedge, sich, desiccation, brassica, desiccant, assignation, 48 more
through Proto-Italic *segnom ‘sign’
design, signal, significance, resign, assign, signify, ensign, insignia, signet, consign, signification, 14 more
through Latin signum ‘sign’
significant, sign, sealing, sain, 14 more
through Latin sigillum ‘little sign’
Today it means
noun A seal, signature or signet.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “sigil”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin signum, Latin sigillum. 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-Indo-European *sek- / sigil