Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A visible trace or impression, such as a line or spot.
  • noun A symbol, name, or other identifier, especially.
  • noun A name, logo, or other indicator used to indicate ownership, origin, or level of quality.
  • noun A notch made in an animal's ear or hide to indicate ownership.
  • noun A sign, such as a cross, made in lieu of a signature.
  • noun A written or printed symbol used for punctuation; a punctuation mark.
  • noun A number, letter, or symbol used to indicate various grades of academic achievement.
  • noun An appraisal; a rating.
  • noun A knot or piece of material placed at various measured lengths on a sounding line to indicate the depth of the water.
  • noun A Plimsoll mark.
  • noun A distinctive trait or property.
  • noun A recognized standard of quality.
  • noun A lasting effect.
  • noun A specific model, type, or iteration, as of a product or machine, especially when part of a series. Usually used with a number.
  • noun Importance; prominence.
  • noun Notice; attention.
  • noun A target.
  • noun Something that one wishes to achieve; a goal.
  • noun An object or point that serves as a guide.
  • noun Slang A person who is the intended victim of a swindler; a dupe.
  • noun Sports The place from which racers begin and sometimes end their contest.
  • noun A point reached or gained.
  • noun A record.
  • noun A strike or spare in bowling.
  • noun A stationary ball in lawn bowling; a jack.
  • noun A boundary between countries.
  • noun A tract of land in medieval England and Germany held in common by a community.
  • noun Computers A character or feature in a file, record, or data stream used to locate a specific point or condition.
  • intransitive verb To make a visible trace or impression on, as with a spot, line, or dent.
  • intransitive verb To form, make, or depict by making a mark.
  • intransitive verb To supply with natural markings.
  • intransitive verb To single out or indicate by or as if by a mark.
  • intransitive verb To distinguish or characterize.
  • intransitive verb To make conspicuous.
  • intransitive verb To set off or separate by or as if by a line or boundary.
  • intransitive verb To attach or affix identification, such as a price tag or maker's label, to.
  • intransitive verb To evaluate (academic work) according to a scale of letters or numbers; grade.
  • intransitive verb To give attention to; notice.
  • intransitive verb To take note of in writing; write down.
  • intransitive verb Sports & Games To record (the score) in various games.
  • intransitive verb Sports To guard (an opponent), as in soccer.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English mearc; see merg- in Indo-European roots.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old English marc; see merg- in Indo-European roots. Sense 3, translation of German Mark, from Middle High German marc, marke, stamped precious metal bar, half-pound of silver or gold. Sense 4, translation of Finnish markka.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English mark, from Old English marc ("a denomination of weight (usu. half a pound), mark (money of account)"), from Proto-Germanic *markan (“mark, sign”), from Proto-Indo-European *marǵ- (“edge, boundary, border”). Cognate with Dutch mark ("mark"), German Mark ("a weight of silver, a coin"), Swedish mark ("a stamped coin"), Icelandic mörk ("a weight (usu. a pound) of silver or gold").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English mark, merk, merke, from Old English mearc ("mark, sign, line of division; standard; boundary, limit, term, border; defined area, district, province"), from Proto-Germanic *markō (“boundary; boundary marker”), from Proto-Indo-European *marǵ- (“edge, boundary, border”). Cognate with Dutch mark, merk ("mark, brand"), German Mark ("mark; borderland"), Swedish mark ("mark, land, territory"), Icelandic mark ("mark, sign"), Latin margo ("edge, margin"). Compare march.

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Examples

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  • "A unit of account, though not a coin, valued at 13s. 4d."

    August 21, 2008

  • 'The "marks" surged in - young fellows in straw hats with their coats over their arms, here and there a fat woman with beady eyes.'

    - Nightmare Alley, William Lindsay Gresham

    June 30, 2012

  • "A significant note, character, sign, token, or indication; a determinative attestation. In logic, to say that a thing has a certain mark is to say that something in particular is true of it. Thus, according to a certain school of metaphysicians, “incognizability is a mark of the Infinite.”"

    --from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

    May 22, 2018