die  Signatur

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ziɡnaˈtuːɐ̯/

✍️ What exactly is a 'Signatur'?

Die Signatur (feminine, plural: die Signaturen) is a versatile German word with several meanings:

• Signature: The most common meaning is the handwritten name or mark used for authentication or identification on a document, letter, or artwork. Example: Bitte setzen Sie Ihre Signatur unter den Vertrag. (Please put your signature on the contract.)
• Mark / Characteristic: Figuratively, it can also refer to a characteristic feature or identifying mark of a person, style, or era. Example: Die minimalistische Einrichtung trägt seine Signatur. (The minimalist decor bears his signature/mark.)
• Library Shelfmark / Call Number: In libraries or archives, it's a unique identifier (often a combination of letters and numbers) for a book or medium, indicating its location. Example: Das Buch hat die Signatur 'HIST 1234'. (The book has the shelfmark 'HIST 1234'.)
• Email Signature: The block of text at the end of an email, often containing name, position, and contact details.
• Musical Key Signature: In music, the indication of the key (sharps or flats) and time signature at the beginning of a staff.
• Medical Signature (obsolete): Historically, an external feature (e.g., of a plant) believed to indicate its healing properties (Doctrine of Signatures).

🚨 The word is always feminine: die Signatur.

Article rules for der, die, and das

🧐 Grammar: 'Die Signatur' in Detail

The noun „Signatur“ is feminine. Here is its declension:

📝 Example Sentences

1. Der Künstler brachte seine Signatur auf dem Gemälde an. (The artist put his signature on the painting.)
2. Die Signatur dieses Buches findest du im Online-Katalog. (You can find the shelfmark of this book in the online catalog.)
3. Seine E-Mails enden immer mit einer professionellen Signatur. (His emails always end with a professional signature.)
4. Der einzigartige Stil ist die Signatur dieses Architekten. (The unique style is the signature/mark of this architect.)
5. Die Violin-Signatur zeigte drei Kreuze an. (The violin key signature indicated three sharps.)

💡 How to use 'die Signatur'

The usage of „Signatur“ strongly depends on the context:

• Recht & Verwaltung (Law & Administration): Here, it usually refers to the Unterschrift (signature) on contracts, deeds, or forms. Common phrases involve „eine Signatur leisten/setzen/anbringen“ (to provide/place/affix a signature). Digital or electronic signatures also fall into this category.
• Kunst & Literatur (Art & Literature): Artists and authors signieren (sign) their works. The signature serves for authentication and attribution.
• Bibliothekswesen (Librarianship): The Bibliothekssignatur (library shelfmark/call number) is essential for finding media within the collection. You look for or note down the *Signatur*.
• Kommunikation (Communication): The E-Mail-Signatur is a standard part of business correspondence.
• Figurative Meaning: When something „jemandes Signatur trägt“ (bears someone's signature), it means it has their typical, unmistakable characteristics.

Compared to Unterschrift, the word Signatur often sounds more formal or is used specifically in the context of art and libraries. Kennzeichen or Merkmal are more general terms for the figurative meaning (mark, characteristic).

🧠 Mnemonics for 'Signatur'

• Article Mnemonic: Think of 'die' library card you need to find the book by its Signatur. Both 'die' are feminine. Or: *She* ('die') puts her signature.

• Meaning Mnemonic: A Signatur is like a sign – it *signs* something as belonging to someone (signature), belonging somewhere (shelfmark), or having certain features (characteristic mark).

↔️ Opposites and Alternatives

⚠️ Similar but different words:

• Signet (das): A small symbol or logo, often used as a company or brand mark. (Note: 'das Signet' is neuter)
• Signal (das): A sign or indicator that conveys information (e.g., light signal, warning signal). (Note: 'das Signal' is neuter)

😄 A Little Joke

Warum hat der Arzt so eine unleserliche Signatur auf dem Rezept?
Damit der Apotheker auch mal rätseln darf! 😉

(Why does the doctor have such an illegible signature on the prescription?
So the pharmacist gets to puzzle over it too!)

📜 A Poem about 'Signatur'

Ein Strich, ein Name, kurz und knapp,
Die Signatur, macht niemals schlapp.
Auf dem Vertrag, dem Kunstwerk fein,
Im Buchregal, muss sie auch sein.
Ein Merkmal, das uns zeigt und lehrt,
Wessen Geist hier hat verkehrt.

(A line, a name, short and neat,
The signature, never effete.
On contract, or on artwork fine,
On the bookshelf, it must align.
A feature that shows us and imparts,
Whose spirit here has played its parts.)

❓ Little Riddle

Ich steh' auf Papier, ganz offiziell,
Zeig' im Regal den Standort schnell.
Bin manchmal krakelig, manchmal klar,
Und mach' den Absender offenbar.

Was bin ich?(Auflösung: die Signatur)

(I stand on paper, officially,
Show the location on the shelf quickly.
Sometimes I'm scribbled, sometimes clear,
And make the sender appear.

What am I?
(Solution: die Signatur))

🌐 More Trivia

Word Origin: The word „Signatur“ comes from the Latin verb signare, meaning „to mark“, „to designate“, or „to seal“. The noun signatura meant „that which is to be marked“ or „designation“.

Compound Words:

• E-Mail-Signatur: (Email signature) The text at the end of an email.
• Signaturgesetz: (Signature law) Legal regulations concerning electronic signatures.
• Signaturenlehre: (Doctrine of Signatures) An old doctrine associating the external features of plants or minerals with specific healing properties.
• Digitale Signatur: (Digital signature) A cryptographic method for ensuring the authenticity of digital data.