Main Entry:

¹sem·a·phore

Pronunciation:

\ˈse-mə-ˌfȯr\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Greek sēma sign, signal + International Scientific Vocabulary -phore

Date:

1816

1 : an apparatus for visual signaling (as by the position of one or more movable arms) 2 : a system of visual signaling by two flags held one in each hand

[semaphore illustration]