semafor

From French sémaphore, from Ancient Greek σῆμα (sêma, “sign”) + -φορος (-phoros, “bearer”).

semafor

1. semaphore, traffic light

• Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]‎^[2], Simferopol: Dolya, →ISBN

Borrowed from German Semaphor.

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɛmafor]

semafor m inan

1. traffic light

   Na semaforu je zelená. ― The traffic lights are green.

2. (computing) semaphore (mechanism which is used to restrict access to a shared function or device to a single process at a time)

• “semafor”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “semafor”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “semafor”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

Borrowed from French sémaphore.^[1][2] First attested in 1830.^[3]

• IPA^(key): /sɛˈma.fɔr/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -afɔr
• Syllabification: se‧ma‧for

semafor m inan (related adjective semaforowy)

2. (countable, rail transport) semaphore; railway signal (signaling device used in railways to convey information)
3. (countable, advertising) semaphore; business sign (two-sided advertising sign mounted on a building wall perpendicular to it, often with a business's logo, etc.)
4. (countable, sailing) semaphore (coastal device in the form of a mast with movable arms, showing ships the direction and strength of the wind)
6. (uncountable, sailing) semaphore (signaling system in shipping in which someone makes specific hand movements while holding special flags)
7. (countable, computing) semaphore (bit, token, fragment of code, or some other mechanism which is used to restrict access to a shared function or device to a single process at a time, or to synchronize and coordinate events in different processes)

• semafor in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• semafor in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• semafor in PWN's encyclopedia
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861) “semafor”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1915), “semafor”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 6, Warsaw, page 62
• semafor in Narodowy Fotokorpus Języka Polskiego

Borrowed from French sémaphore.

• IPA^(key): /se.maˈfor/

• Audio:

  (file)

semafor n (plural semafoare)

1. traffic light
2. semaphore

sȅmafōr m inan (Cyrillic spelling се̏мафо̄р)

1. semaphore
2. traffic light

• IPA^(key): [ˈsemafɔr]

semafor m inan (relational adjective semaforový)

1. traffic light
2. (computing) semaphore (mechanism which is used to restrict access to a shared function or device to a single process at a time)

• “semafor”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

Borrowed from German Semaphor.

semafór m inan

1. traffic light

• “semafor”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2025

From French sémaphore.

semafor (definite accusative semaforu, plural semaforlar)

1. (transport) semaphore (signaling device of ships and railroads) [from 1929]
2. (computing) semaphore

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “semafor”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 4, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 4136
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “semafor”, in Nişanyan Sözlük