semaphore
Pronunciation: /ˈsɛm.əˌfɔː/
The English word “semaphore” has 4 meanings listed here.
noun
- Any equipment used for visual signalling by means of flags, lights, or mechanically moving arms, which are used to represent letters of the alphabet, or words.
- A visual system for transmitting information using the above equipment; especially, by means of two flags held one in each hand, using an alphabetic and numeric code based on the position of the signaller's arms; flag semaphore.
- A bit, token, fragment of code, or some other mechanism which is used to restrict access to a shared function or device to a single process at a time, or to synchronize and coordinate events in different processes.
verb
- To signal using, or as if using, a semaphore, with the implication that it is done nonverbally.
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from French sémaphore, from Ancient Greek σῆμα (sêma, “mark, sign, token”) + French -phore (from Ancient Greek -φόρος (-phóros, suffix indicating a bearer or carrier)). By surface analysis, sema- + -phore. The verb is derived from the noun.
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More English words
- semantophoretic
- semantosyllabic
- semantron
- Semapedia
- semaphore flag
- semaphore plant
- semaphore signal
- semaphoretic
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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.