/ ˈsɪgnətʃə(r); NAmE / noun
1.
[ C ] your name as you usually write it, for example at the end of a letter :
Someone had forged her signature on the cheque.
They collected 10 000 signatures for their petition.
He was attacked for having put his signature to the deal.
2.
[ U ] ( formal ) the act of signing sth :
Two copies of the contract will be sent to you for signature.
3.
[ C , usually sing. ] a particular quality that makes sth different from other similar things and makes it easy to recognize :
Bright colours are his signature.
—see also digital signature , key signature , time signature
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (as a Scots legal term): from medieval Latin signatura sign manual (in late Latin denoting a marking on sheep), from Latin signare to sign, mark.