English
sigillography
Sigillography comes from Latin sigillum ‘small image’, from signum ‘sign’, and perhaps ultimately from 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‘small image’
- Englishtodaysigillography3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin signum
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin sigillum
- 3 Wiktionary, English sigillography
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 sigillography‘small image’
- EnglishtodaysigillographyWiktionary, English sigillography
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’
saw, sex, risk, section, ship, sexual, segment, sack, insect, scarlet, designation, sawyer, sax, het, sickle, shingle, dissect, scythe, sich, seg, sedge, desiccation, brassica, desiccant, assignation, 48 more
through Proto-Italic *segnom ‘sign’
design, signal, significance, resign, assign, ensign, signify, insignia, signet, consign, signification, 14 more
through Latin signum ‘sign’
significant, sign, sealing, sain, 14 more
through Latin sigillum ‘small image’
Today it means
noun The study of seals, especially those attached to documents.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “sigillography”; 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- / sigillography