Mark

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /mɑːk/, US IPA: /mɑɹk/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)k
• Homophones: Mark, marque

Alternative forms

• marke obsolete
• merk obsolete

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"), French marque ("mark; brand"), Swedish mark ("mark, land, territory"), Icelandic mark ("mark, sign"), Latin margo ("edge, margin"). Compare march.

Full definition of mark

Noun

1. boundary, land in a boundary
1. (obsolete) A boundary; a border or frontier. 9th-19th c.
2. (obsolete) A boundary-post or fence. 13th-18th c.
3. A stone or post used to indicate position and guide travellers. from 14th c.
• 1859, Henry Bull, A history, military and municipal, of the ancient borough of the Devizes:I do remember a great thron in Yatton field near Bristow-way, against which Sir William Waller's men made a great fire and killed it. I think the stump remains, and was a mark for travellers.
4. (archaic) A type of small region or principality. from 18th c.
• 1954, J R R Tolkien, The Two Towers:There dwells Théoden son of Thengel, King of the Mark of Rohan.
5. (historical) A common, or area of common land, especially among early Germanic peoples. from 19th c.
6. characteristic, sign, visible impression
1. An omen; a symptomatic indicator of something. from 8th c.
• 1813, Jane Austen, Pride And Prejudice:depend upon it, you will speedily receive from me a letter of thanks for this as well as for every other mark of your regard during my stay in Hertfordshire.
2. A characteristic feature. from 16th c.
• 1643, Sir Thomas Browne, Religio Medici:there is surely a physiognomy, which those experienced and master mendicants observe, whereby they instantly discover a merciful aspect, and will single out a face, wherein they spy the signatures and marks of mercy.
3. A good sense of manners is the mark of a true gentleman.
4. A visible impression or sign; a blemish, scratch, or stain, whether accidental or intentional. from 9th c.
• 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula:Then she put before her face her poor crushed hands, which bore on their whiteness the red mark of the Count's terrible grip ....
5. A sign or brand on a person. from 10th c.
• 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, III.iv.2.6:Doubt not of thine election, it is an immutable decree; a mark never to be defaced: you have been otherwise, you may and shall be.
6. A written character or sign. from 10th c.The font wasn't able to render all the diacritical marks properly.
7. A stamp or other indication of provenance, quality etc. from 11th c.With eggs, you need to check for the quality mark before you buy.
• KnightThe mark of the artisan is found upon the most ancient fabrics that have come to light.
8. (obsolete) Resemblance, likeness, image. 14th-16th c.
• circa 1380, Geoffrey Chaucer, ‘The Franklin's Tale’, Canterbury Tales:Which mankynde is so fair part of thy werk
  That thou it madest lyk to thyn owene merk.
9. A particular design or make of an item now usually with following numeral. from 15th c.Presenting...my patented travelator, mark two.
10. A score for finding the correct answer, or other academic achievement; the sum of such point gained as out of a possible total. from 19th c.What mark did you get in your history test?
11. indicator of position, objective etc.
1. A target for shooting at with a projectile. from 13th c.
• 1603, John Florio, translating Michel de Montaigne, Essays, II.1:A skilfull archer ought first to know the marke he aimeth at, and then apply his hand, his bow, his string, his arrow and his motion accordingly.
• 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 37:To give them an accurate eye and strength of arm, none under twenty-four years of age might shoot at any standing mark, except it was for a rover, and then he was to change his mark at every shot; and no person above that age might shoot at any mark whose distance was less than eleven score yards.
2. An indication or sign used for reference or measurement. from 14th c.I filled the bottle up to the 500ml mark.
3. The target or intended victim of a swindle, fixed game or con game. from 18th c.
4. (obsolete) The female genitals. 16th-18th c.
• 1596, William Shakespeare, Love's Labours Lost, I.4:A mark saies my Lady. Let the mark haue a prick in't, to meate at, if it may be.
• 1749, John Cleland, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure, Penguin 1985, p. 68:her thighs were still spread, and the mark lay fair for him, who, now kneeling between them, displayed to us a side-view of that fierce erect machine of his ...
5. (Australian rules football) A catch of the ball directly from a kick of 10 metres or more without having been touched in transit, resulting in a free kick. from 19th c.
6. (sports) The line indicating an athlete's starting-point. from 19th c.
7. A score for a sporting achievement. from 20th c.
• 1871, Chicago Board of Education, Annual Report (volume 17, page 102)A mark for tardiness or for absence is considered by most pupils a disgrace, and strenuous efforts are made to avoid such a mark.
8. (cooking) A specified level on a scale denoting gas-powered oven temperatures. from 20th c.Now put the pastry in at 450 degrees, or mark 8.
9. Limit or standard of action or fact.to be within the mark; to come up to the mark
10. Badge or sign of honour, rank, or official station.
• ShakespeareIn the official marks invested, you
  Anon do meet the Senate.
11. (archaic) preeminence; high positionpatricians of marka fellow of no mark
12. (logic) A characteristic or essential attribute; a differential.
13. (nautical) One of the bits of leather or coloured bunting placed upon a sounding line at intervals of from two to five fathoms. (The unmarked fathoms are called "deeps".)
14. attention
1. (archaic) Attention, notice. from 15th c.His last comment is particularly worthy of mark.
2. Importance, noteworthiness. Generally in postmodifier of mark. from 16th c.
• 1909, Richard Burton, Masters of the English Novel:in the short story of western flavor he was a pioneer of mark, the founder of a genre: probably no other writer is so significant in his field.
3. (obsolete) Regard; respect.
• Shakespeareas much in mock as mark

Synonyms

• Mk abbreviation
• Mk. abbreviation

Derived terms

Verb

1. To put a mark upon; to make recognizable by a mark.to mark a box or bale of merchandiseto mark clothing with one's name
2. To indicate in some way for later reference.
   She folded over the corner of the page to mark where she left off reading.
   This monument marks the spot where Wolfe died.His courage and energy marked him as a leader.
3. To take note of.
   Mark my words: that boy's up to no good.
• Bible, Psalms xxxvii. 37Mark the perfect man.
4. To blemish, scratch, or stain.See where this pencil has marked the paper.
• 2013-06-07, Joseph Stiglitz, Globalisation is about taxes too, It is time the international community faced the reality: we have an unmanageable, unfair, distortionary global tax regime. It is a tax system that is pivotal in creating the increasing inequality that marks most advanced countries today ….
5. The floor was marked with wine and blood.
6. To indicate the correctness of and give a score to an essay, exam answers, etc.
   The teacher had to spend her weekend marking all the tests.
7. To keep account of; to enumerate and register.to mark the points in a game of billiards or a card game
8. (Australian Rules football) To catch the ball directly from a kick of 15 metres or more without having been touched in transit, resulting in a free kick.
9. (sports) To follow a player not in possession of the ball when defending, to prevent them receiving a pass easily.
• 2011, December 10, David Ornstein, Arsenal 1 - 0 Everton, Robin van Persie scored a sensational volley to mark Arsenal's 125th birthday with a victory over Everton that puts them fourth in the Premier League.
10. (golf) To put a marker in the place of one's ball.

Synonyms

• (indicate correctness and give score) score, grade

Derived terms

From Middle English mark, from Old English marc ("a denomination of weight (usu. half a pound), mark (money of account)"), from Proto-Germanic *marką ("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").

Noun

1. A measure of weight (especially for gold and silver), once used throughout Europe, equivalent to 8 oz.
• 1997, Bernard Scudder, translating ‘Egil's Saga’, in The Sagas of Icelanders, Penguin 2001, p. 91:As a reward for his poetry, Athelstan gave Egil two more gold rings weighing a mark each, along with an expensive cloak that the king himself had worn.
2. (now historical) An English and Scottish unit of currency (originally valued at one mark weight of silver), equivalent to 13 shillings and fourpence.
• 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin 2012, p. 167:He had been made a royal counsellor, drawing a substantial annual salary of a hundred marks.
3. Any of various European monetary units, especially the base unit of currency of Germany between 1948 and 2002, equal to 100 pfennigs.
4. A mark coin.

Synonyms

• (German currency) Deutschmark, Deutsche Mark, German mark

Verb

1. (imperative, marching) Alternative form of march (said to be easier to pronounce while giving a command).Mark time, mark!Forward, mark!

Anagrams

• Karm