An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
English-French-Persian

The symbol + indicating summation or a positive quantity. The sign is believed to be a shortened form of the L. word et denoting "and" which was the term for addition. The signs + and - first appeared in an arithmetic book by Johannes Widmann entitled Behennde und hübsche Rechnung, published in Leipzig in 1489.

→ plus; → sign.

The symbol √ placed before a number or quantity to indicate the extraction of the square root. The value of a higher (the n-th) root is indicated by a raised positive digit (n) in front of the symbol, as in ³√ (cube root). The first known occurrence of this symbol was in the book Die Cross, published in 1525, by the German mathematician Christoff Rudolff.

→ radical; → symbol.

A signal in the → radio frequency region of the → electromagnetic spectrum.

→ radio; → signal.

To give up an office or position, often formally.

M.E. resignen "give up, surrender, abandon; relinquish," from O.Fr. resigner "renounce, relinquish," from L. resignare "to check off, cancel, give back, give up," from → re- "opposite" + signare "to make an entry in an account book," literally "to mark;" → sign.

Vâgâmidan, literally "to step back," from vâ-→ re- + gâmidan "to step, go, → walk."

The act of resigning.

Verbal noun from → resign.

In radar, a signal whose amplitude is greater than the dynamic range of the receiving system.

→ saturation; → signal.

1) A conventional or arbitrary mark, figure, or symbol used as an abbreviation for the word or words it represents. Related terms: → signal, → signature, → symbol, → index.
2) Math.: A plus sign or minus sign used as a symbol for indicating addition or subtraction; also a sign for indicating the positive or negative value of a quantity.
3) → sign of the zodiac.

M.E., from O.Fr. signe "sign, mark, signature," from L. signum "mark, token, indication, symbol," from PIE base *sek^w- "to see."

Nešân "sign, mark," from Mid.Pers. nišân "sign, mark, omen," nišitan "to gaze, stare, look into," niš in marv.niš "taking omen, foretelling, or divining from birds," nišak "clear, evident," from Proto-Iranian *niiaš- "to show," from *ni- "down, below," → ni- (PIE), + *iaš- "to show, appear;" cf. Armenian loanword niš "sign, mark, spot," loaned also in Syriac as nyš "sign" (Cheung 2007).

One of the 12 constellations (in fact 13) making up the → zodiac.

→ sign; → zodiac.

Borj originally "tower," most probably related to Pers. borz "height, magnitude, greatness," boland "high," bâlâ "up, above, high, elevated, height," Laki dialect berg "hill, mountain;" Mid.Pers. burz "height," buland "high;" O.Pers. baršan- "height;" Av. barəz- "high, mount," barezan- "height;" cf. Skt. bhrant- "high;" L. fortis "strong" (Fr. and E. force); O.E. burg, burh "castle, fortified place," from P.Gmc. *burgs "fortress;" Ger. Burg "castle," Goth. baurgs "city," E. burg, borough, Fr. bourgeois, bourgeoisie, faubourg; PIE base *bhergh- "high." Borj may have been loaned into Ar. from Mid.Pers. The meaning extension of borj to its astronomical sense of zodiacal sign may have arisen from the conception of the zodiac as a barrier between heaven and Earth through which access was gained by means of twelve gates.

1) Useful part of the received information that can be distinguished from noise.
2) Information transmitted by means of a modulated current or an electromagnetic wave and received by telephone, radio, television, etc.

M.E., from O.Fr. signal, from M.L. signale "a signal," from L.L. signalis (adj.) "used as a signal, pertaining to a sign," from L. signum "signal, sign."

Nešâl, from neš- base of nešân meaning → sign + -âl, → -al.

Concept used to quantify the effects of noise. It is the ratio of a signal to the standard deviation of the signal.

→ signal; → noise; → ratio.

1) Physics, Chem.: A distinctive trace or sign that indicates the presence of a substance or the occurrence of a physical process or event.
2) Telecommunication: The complete set of electromagnetic and/or acoustic signals received, e.g., from an infrared source, a radio or radar transmitter, an aircraft, or a ship. Signatures may consist of analog or digital signals, or both, and may be analyzed to indicate the nature of their source and assist in its recognition.

M.Fr. signature, from M.L. signatura "sign," in classical L. "the matrix of a seal," from signatus, p.p. of signare "to mark, sign," → sign.

Nešânzad, literally "striking a mark, sign" (cf. angošt zadan "fingerprint"), from nešân, → sign, + zad past stem of zadan "to strike, beat; to do; to play an instrument" (Mid.Pers. zatan, žatan; O.Pers./Av. jan-, gan- "to strike, hit, smite, kill" (jantar- "smiter"); cf. Skt. han- "to strike, beat" (hantar- "smiter, killer"); Gk. theinein "to strike;" L. fendere "to strike, push;" Gmc. *gundjo "war, battle;" PIE *g^when- "to strike, kill").

1) The state or quality of being significant; → meaning; importance.
2) Statistics: An estimated measure of the degree to which a result is not merely a matter of chance. See also → significance level, → significance testing.

From L. significantia "meaning, force, energy," from significans, present participle of significare, → signify.

Nešânâri, noun from nešânâr, → significant.

The level of → Type I error which one is willing to risk in a → test of significance. Also called level of significance.

→ significance; → level.

Statistics: A procedure that is used to decide whether to accept or reject the → null hypothesis or to determine whether observed samples differ significantly from expected results. Also called → test of significance and → rule of decision.

→ significance; → test.

1) Having a special or suggestive → meaning.
2) Statistics: Of or pertaining to a result that is not plausible to occur by chance.

From L. significant-, stem of significans, from significare, "to → signify."

Nešânâr, from nešân, → sign, + âr short form of âvar present stem of âvardan "to bring, adduce, cause, produce."

The number of digits used to express a measured or calculated quantity. Rules for deciding the number of significant digits:
The leftmost digit which is not a zero is the most significant digit.
If the number does not have a decimal point, the rightmost digit which is not a zero is the least significant digit.
If the number does have a decimal point, the rightmost significant digit is the least significant digit, even if it's a zero.
Every digit between the least and most significant digits should be counted as a significant digit.

→ significant; → digit.

1) Something that is signified, → meaning, sense.
2) The act of signifying. → significance, → significant, → level of significance.

Verbal noun of → signify.

To make known; to be a sign of; to → mean. → significance, → significant, → signification.

M.E. signifien, from O.Fr. signifier, from L. significare "to make a sign, indicate, mention, denote."

Nešânâridan, from nešânâr, → significant, + -dan suffix of infinitives.

Same as → significance testing and → rule of decision.

→ test; → significance.

The minimum intensity of a signal that can be detected and recognized.

→ threshold; → signal.