Meanings
nounsign language (countable and uncountable, plural sign languages)
plural sign languages
- countableAny of several natural languages, typically used by the deaf, in which words consist of hand shapes, motions, positions, and facial expressions.
It is safe to say that the academic world is now convinced that sign languages are real languages in every sense of the term.
2000, Wendy Sandler, Diane Lillo-Martin, edited by Mark Aronoff and Janie Rees-Miller, The Handbook of Linguistics - uncountableThe sign language (sense 1) that is used locally or that is mistakenly believed to be the only one.
I'm taking night classes to learn sign language.
- uncountableSign languages (sense 1) considered collectively.
There are some unique properties found in sign language compared to spoken language.
- countableuncountableCommunication through gestures as a substitute for language, for example, between monks under a vow of silence or during trade amongst different linguistic groups.
Even Maxwell the trader, who has been most among them, is compelled to resort to the curious sign language common to most of the prairie tribes.
1847, Francis Parkman, The Oregon Trail
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Afrikaans gebaretaal
- gebaretaalsign language
Arabic لُغَةُ إِشَارَة
- لُغَةُ إِشَارَة (luḡatu ʔišāra)sign language
Bengali প্রতীকী ভাষা
- প্রতীকী ভাষা (protiki bhaśa)sign language
Bulgarian жестомими́чен ези́к
- жестомими́чен ези́к (žestomimíčen ezík)sign language
Catalan llengua de signes
- llengua de signessign language
Chinese Cantonese 手語 /手语
- 手語 /手语 (sau² jyu⁵)sign language
Chinese Mandarin 手語 /手语
- 手語 /手语 (shǒuyǔ)sign language
Czech znakový jazyk
- znakový jazyksign language
Danish tegnsprog
- tegnsprogsign language
Dutch gebarentaal
- gebarentaalsign language
Esperanto gestolingvo
- gestolingvosign language
Estonian viipekeel
- viipekeelsign language
Finnish viittomakieli
- viittomakielisign language
French langue des signes, langage des signes
- langue des signessign language
- langage des signessign language
German Gebärdensprache, Zeichensprache
- Gebärdensprachesign language
- Zeichensprachesign language
Greek νοηματική γλώσσα
- νοηματική γλώσσα (noïmatikí glóssa)sign language
Hebrew שְׂפַת סִימָנִים
- שְׂפַת סִימָנִים (s'fat simaním)sign language
Hindi सांकेतिक भाषा
- सांकेतिक भाषा (sāṅketik bhāṣā)sign language
Hungarian jelnyelv
- jelnyelvsign language
Icelandic táknmál, fingramál
- táknmálsign language
- fingramálsign language
Indonesian bahasa isyarat
- bahasa isyaratsign language
Irish teanga chomharthaíochta
- teanga chomharthaíochtasign language
Italian lingua dei segni
- lingua dei segnisign language
Japanese 手話
- 手話 (shuwa)sign language
Korean 수화, 수어
- 수화 (suhwa)sign language
- 수어 (sueo)sign language
Latin lingua gesticulatoria, lingua signorum
- lingua gesticulatoriasign language
- lingua signorumsign language
Latvian zīmju valoda
- zīmju valodasign language
Lithuanian gestų kalba
- gestų kalbasign language
Malay bahasa isyarat
- bahasa isyaratsign language
Māori reo rotarota
- reo rotarotasign language
Norwegian Bokmål tegnspråk
- tegnspråksign language
Polish język migowy
- język migowysign language
Portuguese linguagem de sinais, língua gestual
- linguagem de sinaissign language
- língua gestualsign language
- linguagem gestualsign language
Romanian limba semnelor
- limba semnelorsign language
Russian же́стовый язы́к, язы́к же́стов
- же́стовый язы́к (žéstovyj jazýk)sign language
- язы́к же́стов (jazýk žéstov)sign language
Slovak znakový jazyk, posunkový jazyk
- znakový jazyksign language
- posunkový jazyksign language
- posunková rečsign language
- znaková rečsign language
Spanish lengua de signos, lengua de señas
- lengua de signossign language
- lengua de señassign language
- idioma de señassign language
- idioma de signossign language
- idioma signadosign language
- lengua signadasign language
Swahili lugha ya ishara
- lugha ya isharasign language
Swedish teckenspråk
- teckenspråksign language
Tagalog wikang pakumpas
- wikang pakumpassign language
Thai ภาษามือ
- ภาษามือ (paa-sǎa-mʉʉ)sign language
Turkish işaret dili
- işaret dilisign language
Ukrainian же́стова мо́ва, мо́ва же́стів
- же́стова мо́ва (žéstova móva)sign language
- мо́ва же́стів (móva žéstiv)sign language
Urdu اِشاری زَبان, اِشاری زُبان
- اِشاری زَبان (iśārī zabān)sign language
- اِشاری زُبان (iśārī zubān)sign language
Vietnamese ngôn ngữ kí hiệu, ngôn ngữ ký hiệu
- ngôn ngữ kí hiệusign language
- ngôn ngữ ký hiệusign language
- thủ ngữsign language
- ngôn ngữ dấu hiệusign language
Welsh iaith arwyddion
- iaith arwyddionsign language
Yiddish שטומ־לשון
- שטומ־לשון (shtum-loshn)sign language
Cite this entry
APA
sign language. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sign%20language
MLA
“sign language.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sign%20language. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sign language,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sign%20language.
Source: sign language on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.