Semiotics is the academic study of the relationship of language and other signs to their meanings.
semiotics in British English
or semeiotics (ˌsɛmɪˈɒtɪks, ˌsiːmɪ-)
noun(functioning as singular)
1.
the study of signs and symbols, esp the relations between written or spoken signs and their referents in the physical world or the world of ideas
See also semantics, syntactics, pragmatics
2.
the scientific study of the symptoms of disease; symptomatology
Also: semiology, semeiology
semiotics in American English
(ˌsimiˈɑtɪks; ˌ sɛmiˈɑtɪks)
noun
Philosophy
a general theory of signs and symbols; esp., the analysis of the nature and relationships of signs in language, usually including three branches, syntactics,semantics, and pragmatics
Derived forms
semiotic (ˌsemiˈotic)
adjective or ˌsemiˈotical
semiotician (ˌsemioˈtician) (ˌsimiəˈtɪʃən)
noun
Word origin
Gr sēmeiōtikos < sēmeion, sign, akin to sēma: see semantic
Examples of 'semiotics' in a sentence
semiotics
The fact that you know enough to make a joke about semiotics tells me you're not as ignorant as you'd like people to believe.