1. in linguistics and semiotics, the material form of a sign as opposed to the idea or concept indicated (the signified). In language, therefore, the signifier is the spoken or written word or component of a word. The distinction between signifier and signified is of central importance in structuralism and poststructuralism. See also referent. [introduced by Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857–1913)]

2. in the theory of French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901–1981), a symbol, such as a word or symptom, that stands for some aspect of the patient’s unconscious. Lacan’s use of the term reflects his central belief that the unconscious is structured as a language.