Word of the Day - 07/25/26
consign
/kən'saɪn/(v.): give over to another for care or safekeeping
Before leaving for the expedition, she consigned her family heirlooms to her sister for safekeeping.
(v.): to deliver goods or documents to a person, carrier, or company to be transported, stored, or sold
The bookseller consigned a collection of rare first editions to an auction house.
(v.): commit forever; commit irrevocably
The author chose to consign his early, less refined works to oblivion.
Word Origin
The word 'consign' originates from the Middle French 'consigner', which is derived from the Latin 'consignare'. In Latin, 'consignare' is formed from the prefix 'con-' (meaning 'with' or 'together', often an intensifier) and 'signare' (meaning 'to mark', 'to seal', or 'to sign'). 'Signare' itself comes from 'signum', meaning 'a mark' or 'a sign'. Therefore, 'consign' originally meant 'to seal with a mark' or 'to attest by signing', evolving to mean 'to commit to the care of' or 'to entrust'.
Words with similar origins include 'sign', which directly comes from the Latin 'signum' or through Old French. 'Assign' comes from Latin 'assignare' (ad- + signare). 'Design' comes from Latin 'designare' (de- + signare). 'Resign' comes from Latin 'resignare' (re- + signare). 'Ensign' is also related, stemming from Latin 'insignia' (in- + signum).