sign vs token

sign

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

  • 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. 

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

  • 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 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. 

token

verb
  • To symbolize, instantiate 

  • To betroth 

  • To betoken, indicate, portend, designate, denote 

noun
  • An object or disclosure to attest or authenticate the bearer or an instruction. 

  • An atomic piece of data, such as a word, for which a meaning may be inferred during parsing. 

  • A lexeme; a basic, grammatically indivisible unit of a language such as a keyword, operator or identifier. 

  • A keepsake. 

  • A piece of stamped metal or plastic, etc., used as a substitute for money; a voucher that can be exchanged for goods or services. 

  • Support for a belief; grounds for an opinion. 

  • A minor attempt for appearance's sake, or to minimally comply with a requirement. 

  • A meaningless placeholder used as a substitute for sensitive data. 

  • A conceptual object that can be possessed by a computer, process, etc. in order to regulate a turn-taking system such as a token ring network. 

  • A physical object used for exchange between drivers and signalmen on single track lines. 

  • A particular thing to which a concept applies. 

  • A single example of a certain word in a text or corpus. 

  • An extraordinary event serving as evidence of supernatural power. 

  • Something serving as an expression of something else. 

  • A small physical object, often designed to give the appearance of a common thing, used to represent a person or character in a board game or other situation. 

  • A characteristic sign of a disease or of a bodily disorder, a symptom; a sign of a bodily condition, recovery, or health. 

  • Ten and a half quires, or, commonly, 250 sheets, of paper printed on both sides; also, in some cases, the same number of sheets printed on one side, or half the number printed on both sides. 

  • Something given or shown as a symbol or guarantee of authority or right; a sign of authenticity, of power, good faith. 

  • A member of a group of people that is included within a larger group to comply with a legal or social requirement. 

  • A tally. 

  • A seal guaranteeing the quality of an item. 

  • A bit of leather having a peculiar mark designating a particular miner. Each hewer sent one of these with each corf or tub he had hewn. 

  • A thin bed of coal indicating the existence of a thicker seam at no great distance. 

  • A piece of metal given beforehand to each person in the congregation who is permitted to partake of the Lord's Supper. 

  • In a loom, a colored signal to show the weaver which shuttle to use. 

adj
  • Done as an indication or a pledge. 

  • Perfunctory or merely symbolic; done or existing for appearance's sake, or to minimally comply with a requirement. 

  • He was hired as the company's token black person. 

  • Included in minimal numbers in order to create an impression or illusion of diversity, especially ethnic or gender diversity. 

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