English Dictionary

semaphore

IPA（発音記号）

/ˈsɛm.əˌfɔː/

名詞

可算名詞 不可算名詞 比喩的用法

Any equipment used for visual signalling by means of flags, lights, or mechanically moving arms, which are used to represent letters of the alphabet, or words.

日本語の意味

視覚的な信号を送るための装置。旗、ライト、または機械で動く腕を用いて、アルファベットの文字や単語を表現するために使用される機器

During the fog, the lighthouse operator used a semaphore to warn approaching ships of shallow water.

濃霧の中、灯台の係員は接近する船に浅瀬を警告するために視覚信号装置（旗や灯り、機械的に動く腕でアルファベットや単語を表すもの）を使った。

意味（1）

Any equipment used for visual signalling by means of flags, lights, or mechanically moving arms, which are used to represent letters of the alphabet, or words.

We must here take the liberty of expostulating with Sir Home [Riggs] Popham and the first Lord of the Admiralty, for having given to the telegraphic machine, invented by that gallant officer, the barbarous name of Semaphore, instead of Sematophore or Semophore—either of them ugly enough.]

意味（2）

(figuratively) A visual system for transmitting information using the above equipment; especially, by means of two flags held one in each hand, using an alphabetic and numeric code based on the position of the signaller's arms; flag semaphore.

Its [the article's] object is to furnish a rule for determining the number of distinct signals which can be made by any semaphore, whatever be the number of arms or indicators, of whatever be the number of positions of each arm. In the Cyclopædia of Rees, the number of signals which the semaphores of the line of communication between Paris and Landau were capable of making, is stated to be 823,543, which is no less than 1,274,608 fewer than the real number, an error not arising from the press, but from the principle of computation.

意味（3）

(computing) A bit, token, fragment of code, or some other mechanism which is used to restrict access to a shared function or device to a single process at a time, or to synchronize and coordinate events in different processes.

The thread increments the semaphore to prevent other threads from entering the critical section at the same time.

semaphores （ plural ）