Signified is one of the essential correlates of the sign, as defined by Ferdinand de Saussure.
For him, the sign is a relative opposition between signifier and signified.
Signifier focuses his attention on something other than himself; Signified is the receiver of this attention.
The signifier is the perceptual component of the sign (differences in the sound when it reaches the ear), while signified is the conceptual component (the meaning conveyed by the sound).
Among English readers, the three D-O-G signs oppose or are associated with something violent, with four legs, and so on. These characters serve as signifier, while the object or concept has the status of signified.
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