se•mi•ot•ics
Pronunciation: (sē"mē-ot'iks, sem"ē-, sē"mī-), [key]
— n. (used with a sing. v.)
- the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior; the analysis of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or clothing.
- a general theory of signs and symbolism, usually divided into the branches of pragmatics, semantics, and syntactics.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.