Etymology

empty signifier

Today it means: A signifier—that is, a linguistic sign, a label or slogan—with no fixed and delimited meaning, which can therefore be interpreted in many ways and represent a range of different beliefs and aspirations. Full definition →

French signifiant vide
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The story

  1. French · calque ofsignifiant vide
  2. English todayempty signifier

First attested in the 1970s, apparently originally a calque of French signifiant vide as used by Jacques Derrida among others (though not by Lacan as sometimes supposed; compare the Lacanian term master signifier). Subsequently popularised in the work of Ernesto Laclau in the 1990s.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.