# Semantics: Can a physical occurrence be neither sign nor symptom?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semantics-can-a-physical-occurrence-be-neither-sign-nor-symptom/1018499>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 18, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semantics-can-a-physical-occurrence-be-neither-sign-nor-symptom/1018499 "2025-05-18T13:31:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semantics-can-a-physical-occurrence-be-neither-sign-nor-symptom/1018499/21 "2025-05-27T19:54:42Z")

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I forget. I think one of the vowels was different.

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semantics-can-a-physical-occurrence-be-neither-sign-nor-symptom/1018499/22 "2025-05-27T19:59:19Z")

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As I remember, the word semantics was spelled symantics in the title.

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semantics-can-a-physical-occurrence-be-neither-sign-nor-symptom/1018499/23 "2025-05-27T20:23:14Z")

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SDMB will have to continue to fight ignorance, I guess. sheesh

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [June 2, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semantics-can-a-physical-occurrence-be-neither-sign-nor-symptom/1018499/24 "2025-06-02T18:43:55Z")

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> [@CC](#):
>
> Apologies for being so abstruse. I would like to know what to call an anomaly if it is not indicative of some illness or disease or problem. A sign is still a sign of _something_. A symptom is still a symptom of _something_. What is a condition that is not such a thing?

Is an anomaly always a “symptom”?  
If I’m cold, is that a symptom or just something I’m experiencing?

Google AI Overview says  
“A symptom is a change in the body or mind that indicates the presence of a disease or other abnormal cinondition.”

So I guess the word you want is “abnormal condition”.

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