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signet ring

signet ring

1 6.5
A ring with a carved seal used to stamp wax to show who owned or approved a document
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪɡnɪt rɪŋ/
translation icon : anillo de sello
  • The queen extended her hand, and Ulfra knelt to kiss the signet ring, startled at the sting of the cold elvish silver.
  • a gold signet ring
  • a silver signet ring
  • a heavy signet ring

Yeah, it's just the most me ring really just says F off in this really cute heart signet ring.

Examples

  • "I can see the lines on your finger where your large signet ring once sat."

    Fiction book (1999)
  • "The light flashed off Lukinov's gold signet ring as he waved his hand in clear negation."

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Did you see my signet ring?

  • I found my signet ring.

  • "Obviously, someone close to you was killed just before the concert, and your signet ring was stolen."

    Fiction book (1999)
  • "I think you'll find that he still has the signet ring on him."

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Removing her signet ring, she pressed it carefully into the wax.

    Blog text (28)
  • The knight had a leather pouch, not much worn, that held a signet ring.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • A signet ring with the initials "S.M." gleams on his finger.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • I fold the papyrus, seal the packet with beeswax, and stamp it with my signet ring.

Synonyms

seal
vssignet ring
  • Formal
106 4.2

An official mark that shows a document is real

is a specific jewelry object used to create those marks by imprinting
stamp
vssignet ring
73 1.0

A mark made by pressing or printing to show official approval

is a carved metal jewelry object used to produce such symbols on documents
signet
vssignet ring
4 9.3

A small seal set in a ring for marking papers as official

is the term focused on the jewelry form rather than the small device
rubber stamp
vssignet ring
1 3.5

A hand tool with a rubber surface that makes a mark when pressed on an ink pad

is a carved metal jewelry device used for formal authentication, not a hand tool
sigil
vssignet ring
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A mark used to show a document is real and from an important person

is the physical engraved jewelry object used to produce such authority marks
seal ring
vssignet ring
7.0

A ring with a carved top you press into wax to make a mark

is the common term for that same jewelry used to authenticate documents

How Decorative

signet ring
1 6.5
ring
1.0
band
108 1.0

Surface Forms

signet ring singular
signet rings plural

Morphology

signet + ring

The meaning 'a ring set with a seal used to mark documents' is directly compositional from 'signet' (a seal) + 'ring' (a circular band). This noun-noun compound follows a clear English compounding pattern and has close cross-linguistic parallels, so a learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The name signet ring comes from a small flat seal called a signet set into a ring, which people pressed into warm wax to mark papers. Because the ring made an official mark, it came to mean a ring used to 'prove a document is real' and to show a person's identity.