seal vs sign

seal

verb
  • To mark with a stamp, as an evidence of standard exactness, legal size, or merchantable quality. 

  • To place a seal on (a document). 

  • To confirm or set apart as a second or additional wife. 

  • To guarantee. 

  • To fasten (something) so that it cannot be opened without visible damage. 

  • To close securely to prevent leakage. 

  • To place in a sealed container. 

  • To prevent people or vehicles from crossing (something). 

  • To tie up animals (especially cattle) in their stalls. 

  • To form a sacred commitment. 

  • To hunt seals. 

  • To place a notation of one's next move in a sealed envelope to be opened after an adjournment. 

  • To fix, as a piece of iron in a wall, with cement or plaster, etc. 

  • To close by means of a seal. 

  • To fry (meat) at a high temperature to retain the juices. 

noun
  • An impression of such stamp on wax, paper or other material used for sealing. 

  • A bearing representing a creature something like a walrus. 

  • Anything that secures or authenticates. 

  • A tight closure, secure against leakage. 

  • Something which will be visibly damaged if a covering or container is opened, and which may or may not bear an official design. 

  • A chakra. 

  • A design or insignia usually associated with an organization or an official role. 

  • Confirmation or approval, or an indication of this. 

  • A stamp used to impress a design on a soft substance such as wax. 

  • Something designed to prevent liquids or gases from leaking through a joint. 

  • A pinniped (Pinnipedia), particularly an earless seal (true seal) or eared seal. 

sign

verb
  • More generally, to write one's signature on (something) as a means of identification etc. 

  • To write (one's name) as a signature. 

  • To validate or ratify (a document) by writing one's signature on it. 

  • To communicate using gestures to (someone). 

  • To bless (someone or something) with the sign of the cross; to mark with the sign of the cross. 

  • To engage (a sports player, musician etc.) in a contract. 

  • To determine the sign of 

  • To cross oneself. 

  • To furnish (a road etc.) with signs. 

  • To write one's signature. 

  • To finalise a contractual agreement to work for a given sports team, record label etc. 

  • To use sign language. 

  • To communicate or make known (a meaning, intention, etc.) by a sign. 

  • To calculate or derive whether a quantity has a positive or negative sign. 

  • To mark, to put or leave a mark on. 

  • To communicate using a gesture or signal. 

noun
  • An astrological sign. 

  • A specific gesture or motion used to communicate by those with speaking or hearing difficulties; now specifically, a linguistic unit in sign language equivalent to word in spoken languages. 

  • Sign language in general. 

  • A wonder; miracle; prodigy. 

  • A perceptible (e.g. visible) indication. 

  • A property of the body that indicates a disease and, unlike a symptom, can be detected objectively by someone other than the patient. 

  • A military emblem carried on a banner or standard. 

  • Physical evidence left by an animal. 

  • A clearly visible object, generally flat, bearing a short message in words or pictures. 

  • A semantic unit, something that conveys meaning or information (e.g. a word of written language); (linguistics, semiotics) a unit consisting of a signifier and a signified concept. (See sign (semiotics).) 

  • An omen. 

  • Positive or negative polarity, as denoted by the + or - sign. 

How often have the words seal and sign occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )