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Signets have been used for thousands of years. The design of a signet is personalized for its owner, and no two are alike. The ancients used signets to mark their possessions and to sign contracts. In later years signets were used to stamp a blob of hot wax sealing a folded secret document so that it couldn't be opened and read without the design being broken. Nowadays you’re likely to hear of signets in reference to jewelry, especially rings. The reigning pope wears one, called the Fisherman's Ring, which is carved with a figure of St. Peter encircled with the pope's name; after a pope's death, the ring is destroyed and a new one is made. If you guessed that signet and sign share an etymological relation, you’re entirely right: both can be traced to the Latin noun signum, meaning "a mark, token, image, sign, or seal."
Examples of signet in a Sentence
Charles Portis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
The signet is a form of inntinnsic, a psychic ability so feared that riders who manifest it are executed without question.
—Jennifer McClellan, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
Load up this signet with three birthstones of choice—one shaped like a heart, a baguette, and a classic little round moment.
—Sarah Han and Annie Blackman, Allure, 14 Sep. 2024
From the 12th to the 18th century, rings were often used as signets, as reflected by many examples in the collection.
—Anthony Demarco, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for signet
Cite this Entry
“Signet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/signet. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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