hallmark
English · Thesaurus
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hallmark¹
- /ˈhɔːlmɑːk/ UK
- /ˈhɔlmɑɹk/ US
- [ˈhɑɫmɑɹk] cot caught merger
Where it comes from
1721. From hall + mark, from Goldsmiths' Hall in London, the site of the assay office, official stamp of purity in gold and silver articles. The general sense of “mark of quality” first recorded 1864. Use as a verb from 1773.
noun hallmarks
- A distinguishing characteristic. You know what a university is, and a university degree? It is the necessary hallmark of a man who wants to do anything in teaching.
- An official marking made by a trusted party, usually an assay office, on items made of precious metals. It can highlight our embodiment, a qualitative step away from the hallmark machines that work so resolutely to disembody us.
verb hallmarks · hallmarking · hallmarked
- To provide or stamp with a hallmark. The cane was undoubtedly of foreign make, for it had a solid silver ferrule at one end, which was not English hall–marked.
Hallmark²
Where it comes from
The company is named after its founder, J. C. Hall, and a reference to hallmark (“official marking”).
proper noun Hallmarks
- A surname.
- Ellipsis of Hallmark Cards
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: trademark, authentication, earmark, assay-mark, stylemark, marking, imprint, label, emblem, badge, insignia, decal, sign, mark, logo, symbol
Translations
Every language
noun a distinct characteristic
| Español | distintivo |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 標誌 /标志 biāozhì, 特徵 /特征 tèzhēng |
| Português | característica, traço m distintivo |
| Français | marque de fabrique |
| Deutsch | Kennzeichen |
| Italiano | segno caratteristico, elemento caratteristico |
| Русский | при́знак príznak, крите́рий kritɛ́rij, си́мвол símvol, знак znak |
| Tiếng Việt | dấu ấn |
Talk about this word "hallmark." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/hallmark. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. hallmark. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/hallmark "hallmark." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/hallmark.Cite this
@misc{hallmark_2026,
title = {hallmark},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/hallmark},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
