signet
/ˈsɪɡ.nɪt/ noun
Forms signets
- noun (historical) An object (especially a ring) formerly used to impress a picture into the sealing wax of a document as a proof of its origin.
Etymology
From Old French signet (“small seal”), from Medieval Latin signētum, diminutive of Latin signum (“sign”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A seal; especially, in England, the seal used by the sovereign in sealing private letters and grants that pass by bill under the sign manual; --called also privy signet.
Etymology [OF. signet a signet, F., a bookmark, dim. of signe. See Sign, n., and cf. Sennet.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “signet”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details