Qualisign

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A representation whose significance is based on qualitative attributes rather than inherent features is recognized as a qualitative marker
2. A symbol conveying meaning through its qualitative nature instead of its physical traits is termed a qualitative sign
3. A type of sign whose meaning comes from its qualitative aspect instead of its physical form

Etymology: "Qualisign" is a technical coinage built from two ordinary English words: "quality" and "sign." In the term's usage, a qualisign is a sign considered only as a pure quality, a feeling or appearance that stands for something without any concrete existence of its own. The "quali-" part comes from "quality," ultimately from Latin "qualitas," and the "-sign" part comes from "sign," ultimately from Latin "signum." The word belongs to the vocabulary of semiotics, the study of signs, where it was used to classify signs according to how they relate to the things they represent. Because the term is a deliberate combination of two familiar English words rather than an old word that changed over time, its history is simply a matter of its parts, and its meaning follows directly from putting them together.