senefiance

Middle French

Noun

senefiance f (plural senefiances)

1. rare form of signifiance

Old French

Alternative forms

• cenefiance, segnefiance, segnefience, senefianche, senifiance
• signifiance, signifianche (influenced by signe)

Etymology

Semi-learned borrowing from Latin significantia (the inherited form would be *senechance, *senegiance, compare senechier); equivalent to senefier +‎ -ance. Doublet of significance.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌse.nə.fiˈan.t͡sə/
• (Northern) IPA^(key): /ˌse.nə.fiˈan.t͡ʃə/
• (with learned influence) IPA^(key): /ˌsi.ɲi.fiˈan.t͡sə/

Noun

senefiance oblique singular, f (oblique plural senefiances, nominative singular senefiance, nominative plural senefiances)

1. sign; signal; indication
2. significance; importance

Descendants

• Middle French: signifiance, senefiance (rare) (influenced by signe)
  • French: signifiance (now literary or technical)
• Gallo: sènefiance
• Poitevin-Saintongeais: sanefionce
• → Middle English: signifiaunce, signefiance, signifiance, signifiauns, signifyaunce, signyfiaunce, sygnyfyaunce, syngnefiaunce, syngnefyaunce
  • English: signifiance (obsolete)
  • Middle Scots: signifiance

References

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “significare”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 11: S–Si, page 603
• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (segnefiance)