What's the difference between countersign and sign?

Countersign


Definition:

  • (v. t.) To sign on the opposite side of (an instrument or writing); hence, to sign in addition to the signature of a principal or superior, in order to attest the authenticity of a writing.
  • (a.) The signature of a secretary or other officer to a writing signed by a principal or superior, to attest its authenticity.
  • (a.) A private signal, word, or phrase, which must be given in order to pass a sentry; a watchword.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) The applicant I had countersigned for had visited a GP surgery where she began talking to another patient who was there for a GP's signature on an application, for a fee of £20.
  • (2) The content of the explanation should be written and countersigned by the patient.
  • (3) Clearly in most cases the doctor does no more than countersign the patient's declaration of his fitness or not to work.
  • (4) My application was reviewed and countersigned by the HMRC chief executive.” He adds it was “HMRC’s chairman who took an interest in the work of the Enforcement and Compliance directorate.
  • (5) Jane Duffield-Bish Norwich • Fifteen years ago, as a police constable, I countersigned a passport application for a resident.
  • (6) I signed it; the cardinal camerlengo [chamberlain] countersigned it; and then, on the balcony, there was the Habemus Papam [announcement of a new pope].
  • (7) The seven passenger manifests, countersigned by travel agents in Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria , suggest there was a period of formalised passage on the Syrian side of the border.
  • (8) Speakers from the Islah party, members of which countersigned the deal in Riyadh on Wednesday, were forced to flee for cover in Change Square after a group of youth activists launched a co-ordinated attack on the main stage, pelting it with stones, eggs and plastic bottles and shouting: "Our stage, our revolution, down with the opposition!"
  • (9) Misinterpretations were identified by staff radiologists, who checked all examinations and countersigned the reports.

Sign


Definition:

  • (n.) That by which anything is made known or represented; that which furnishes evidence; a mark; a token; an indication; a proof.
  • (n.) A remarkable event, considered by the ancients as indicating the will of some deity; a prodigy; an omen.
  • (n.) An event considered by the Jews as indicating the divine will, or as manifesting an interposition of the divine power for some special end; a miracle; a wonder.
  • (n.) Something serving to indicate the existence, or preserve the memory, of a thing; a token; a memorial; a monument.
  • (n.) Any symbol or emblem which prefigures, typifles, or represents, an idea; a type; hence, sometimes, a picture.
  • (n.) A word or a character regarded as the outward manifestation of thought; as, words are the sign of ideas.
  • (n.) A motion, an action, or a gesture by which a thought is expressed, or a command or a wish made known.
  • (n.) Hence, one of the gestures of pantomime, or of a language of a signs such as those used by the North American Indians, or those used by the deaf and dumb.
  • (n.) A military emblem carried on a banner or a standard.
  • (n.) A lettered board, or other conspicuous notice, placed upon or before a building, room, shop, or office to advertise the business there transacted, or the name of the person or firm carrying it on; a publicly displayed token or notice.
  • (n.) The twelfth part of the ecliptic or zodiac.
  • (n.) A character indicating the relation of quantities, or an operation performed upon them; as, the sign + (plus); the sign -- (minus); the sign of division Ö, and the like.
  • (n.) An objective evidence of disease; that is, one appreciable by some one other than the patient.
  • (n.) Any character, as a flat, sharp, dot, etc.
  • (n.) That which, being external, stands for, or signifies, something internal or spiritual; -- a term used in the Church of England in speaking of an ordinance considered with reference to that which it represents.
  • (n.) To represent by a sign; to make known in a typical or emblematic manner, in distinction from speech; to signify.
  • (n.) To make a sign upon; to mark with a sign.
  • (n.) To affix a signature to; to ratify by hand or seal; to subscribe in one's own handwriting.
  • (n.) To assign or convey formally; -- used with away.
  • (n.) To mark; to make distinguishable.
  • (v. i.) To be a sign or omen.
  • (v. i.) To make a sign or signal; to communicate directions or intelligence by signs.
  • (v. i.) To write one's name, esp. as a token of assent, responsibility, or obligation.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) Forty-nine patients (with 83 eyes showing signs of the disease) were followed up for between six months and 12 years.
  • (2) It is concluded that during exposure to simulated microgravity early signs of osteoporosis occur in the tibial spongiosa and that changes in the spongy matter of tubular bones and vertebrae are similar and systemic.
  • (3) Clinical signs of disease developed as early as 15 days after transition to the experimental diets and included impaired vision, decreased response to external stimuli, and abnormal gait.
  • (4) The neurologic or digestive signs were present in 12% of the children.
  • (5) The recent rise in manufacturing has been welcomed by George Osborne as a sign that his economic policies are bearing fruit.
  • (6) The omission of Crossrail 2 from the Conservative manifesto , in which other infrastructure projects were listed, was the clearest sign yet that there is little appetite in a Theresa May government for another London-based scheme.
  • (7) In patients with coronary artery disease, electrocardiographic signs of left atrial enlargement (LAE-negative P wave deflection greater than or equal to 1 mm2 in lead V1) are associated with increased left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP).
  • (8) The only sign of life was excavators loading trees on to barges to take to pulp mills.
  • (9) Based on our results, we propose the following hypotheses for the neurochemical mechanisms of motion sickness: (1) the histaminergic neuron system is involved in the signs and symptoms of motion sickness, including vomiting; (2) the acetylcholinergic neuron system is involved in the processes of habituation to motion sickness, including neural store mechanisms; and (3) the catecholaminergic neuron system in the brain stem is not related to the development of motion sickness.
  • (10) Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography failed to demonstrate any bile ducts in the right postero-lateral segments of the liver, the "naked segment sign".
  • (11) There was prompt symptomatic relief and amelioration of signs of nephritis.
  • (12) In the 2nd family, several members had cerebellar signs, chorea, and dementia.
  • (13) There are several common clinical signs which should alert the physician to a possible diagnosis of SLE and which should condition him to look for specific clinical and laboratory findings.
  • (14) It is also a clear sign of our willingness and determination to step up engagement across the whole range of the EU-Turkey relationship to fully reflect the strategic importance of our relations.
  • (15) Some retailers said April's downpours led to pent-up demand which was unleashed at the first sign of summer, with shoppers rushing to update their summer wardrobes.
  • (16) About tow amyloid tumors diagnosed because of oropharyngeous signs, the authors remind the main symptoms at the upper airway and ENT tracts; the local, regional and general treatment will be discussed.
  • (17) In addition, PDBu-treated subjects showed signs of having remembered the location of the platform better than controls when tested 24 h later.
  • (18) No signs of the blood-brain barrier disruption were observed.
  • (19) Never become so enamored of your own smarts that you stop signing up for life’s hard classes.
  • (20) However, coinciding with the height of inflammation and clinical signs at 12 dpi, the GFAP mRNA content dropped to approximately 50% of the level at 11 dpi but rose again at 13 dpi.

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