# mark
## English
### Alternative forms

* marke, merk, marc (obsolete)

### Pronunciation

* (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /mɑːk/
* (General American) IPA: /mɑɹk/
* (India) IPA: /mɑː(ɾ)k/
* (Ireland) IPA: /mæɹk/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)k
* Homophones: Marc, Mark, marque; mock (non-rhotic, father-bother merger)

### Etymology 1

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-West Germanic *marku, from Proto-Germanic *markō (“boundary; boundary marker”), from Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs (“edge, boundary, border”).
Compare march.
* Dutch mark, merk (“mark, brand”)
* German Mark (“mark; borderland”), Marke (“mark, brand”)
* Swedish mark (“mark, land, territory”)
* Icelandic mark (“mark, sign”)
* Latin margo (“edge, margin”)
* Persian مرز (marz, “limit, boundary”)
* Sanskrit मर्या (maryā, “limit, mark, boundary”), मार्ग (mārga, “mark, section”).

#### Noun

mark (plural marks)
* (heading) Boundary, land within a boundary.
** (obsolete) A boundary; a border or frontier. [9th–19th c.]
** (obsolete) A boundary-post or fence. [13th–18th c.]
** 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.
** (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.
** (historical) A common, or area of common land, especially among early Germanic peoples. [from 19th c.]
* (heading) Characteristic, sign, visible impression.
** An omen; a symptomatic indicator of something. [from 8th c.]
*** 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC: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.
** A characteristic feature. [from 16th c.]
    A good sense of manners is the mark of a true gentleman.
*** 1642, [Thomas Browne], “(please specify the page)”, in Religio Medici, London: […] Andrew Crooke, →OCLC: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.
** A visible impression or sign; a blemish, scratch, or stain, whether accidental or intentional. [from 9th c.]
*** 1897, Bram Stoker, Dracula, New York, N.Y.: Modern Library, →OCLC:Then she put before her face her poor crushed hands, which bore on their whiteness the red mark of the Count's terrible grip […].
** A sign or brand on a person. [from 10th c.]
*** 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “III.iv.2.6”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC: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.
** A written character or sign. [from 10th c.]
    The font wasn't able to render all the diacritical marks properly.
** 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.
*** 1624, John Donne, “13. Prayer”, in Deuotions upon Emergent Occasions, and Seuerall Steps in My Sicknes: […], London: […] A[ugustine] M[atthews] for Thomas Iones, →OCLC, page 329:But vvhat a vvretched, and diſconſolate Hermitage is that Houſe, vvhich is not viſited by thee [God], and vvhat a VVayue, and Stray is that Man, that hath not thy Markes vpon him?
*** 1876, Edward H. Knight, American Mechanical Dictionary:The mark of the artisan is found upon the most ancient fabrics that have come to light.
** (obsolete) Resemblance, likeness, image. [14th–16th c.]
** A particular design or make of an item (now usually with following numeral). [from 15th c.]
    I am proud to present my patented travelator, mark two.
** A score for finding the correct answer, or other academic achievement; the sum of such points gained as out of a possible total. [from 19th c.]
    What mark did you get in your history test?
* (heading) Indicator of position, objective etc.
** A target for shooting at with a projectile. [from 13th c.]
*** 1603, Michel de Montaigne, translated by John Florio, The Essayes […], London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:, 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.
** An indication or sign used for reference or measurement. [from 14th c.]
    I filled the bottle up to the 500ml mark.
** (informal) The target or intended victim of a swindle, fixed game or con game; a gullible person. [from 18th c.]
*** 2009, Michael Benson, Cons and Frauds, Infobase, →ISBN, page 21:Another common form of short con is the shell game. This scam has the advantage of giving the criminal the ability to rip off many marks all at one location.
*** 2020 June 23, John Bolton, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 313:[Xi Jinping] asked for Trump's personal attention to the issue, probably figuring he had identified his mark and wasn't going to let him get away.
*** 2022 December 11, Mike White, “Arrivederci”, in Mike White, director, The White Lotus, season 2, episode 7, via HBO:Dominic Di Grasso (Michael Imperioli): How are you gonna make it in life if you're this big a mark? Albie Di Grasso (Adam DiMarco): I'm not a mark.
** (obsolete) The female genitals. [16th–18th c.]
*** c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:A mark saies my Lady. Let the mark haue a prick in't, to meate at, if it may be.
*** 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: […] [Thomas Parker] for G. Fenton [i.e., Fenton and Ralph Griffiths] […], →OCLC: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 […].
** (Rugby football, 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.]
** (sports) The line indicating an athlete's starting-point. [from 19th c.]
** A score for a sporting achievement. [from 20th c.]
** An official note that is added to a record kept about someone's behavior or performance.
*** 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.
** (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.
** (product design/engineering) The model number of a device; a device model.
    The Mark I system had poor radar, and the Mark II was too expensive; regardless, most antiaircraft direction remained the responsibility of the Mark I Eyeball (as the jocular phrase calls it): that is, the operator's eye.
** Limit or standard of action or fact.
    to be within the mark
    to come up to the mark
** Badge or sign of honour, rank, or official station.
*** 1605, William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of Coriolanus:In the official marks invested, you / Anon do meet the Senate.
** (archaic) Preeminence; high position.
    patricians of mark
    a fellow of no mark
** (logic) A characteristic or essential attribute; a differential.
** (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".)
* (heading) Attention.
** 1604, William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure:But faults so countenanced, that the strong statutes Stand like the forfeits in a barber's shop, as much in mock as mark
** (archaic) Attention, notice. [from 15th c.]
    His last comment is particularly worthy of mark.
** 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.
** (obsolete) Regard; respect.
* (professional wrestling slang) Condescending label of a wrestling fan who refuses to believe that pro wrestling is predetermined and/or choreographed.

##### Synonyms

* (a particular design or make): Mk (abbreviation), Mk. (abbreviation)
* (attention, notice): heed, observance; see also Thesaurus:attention

##### Derived terms

* accent mark
* beauty mark
* bench-mark, benchmark
* beside the mark
* birthmark
* black mark
* blue check mark
* bookmark
* byte order mark
* byte-order mark
* cardinal mark
* center mark
* certification mark
* chatter mark
* check mark
* chest mark
* chop mark
* claiming mark
* combining mark
* consequential mark
* cost mark
* crop mark
* cue mark
* decimal mark
* diacritical mark
* diagonal mark
* early mark
* easy mark
* end mark
* exclamation mark
* factory mark
* fire mark
* Four Marks
* full marks
* funnel mark
* gas mark
* geta mark
* get off the mark
* ghost mark
* God bless the mark
* God save the mark
* graduation mark
* hall-mark
* hash mark
* hesitation mark
* high-water mark
* hit the mark
* hoof-mark
* interrogation mark
* inverted question mark
* irony mark
* iteration mark
* land mark
* lateral mark
* laundry mark
* laundry-mark
* leave a mark
* leave one's mark
* longing mark
* longing-mark
* long-vowel mark
* low-water mark
* make a mark
* make one's mark
* manga mark
* mark 1 eyeball
* mark and sweep
* Mark Cross
* mark-making
* mark of admiration
* mark of Cain
* mark of the beast
* marksman
* markstone
* mark to market
* mark-to-market
* mark to model
* mark-to-model
* mark tree
* mark-white
* mating mark
* miss the mark
* mother's mark
* near the mark
* no mark
* no-mark
* oblique mark
* official mark
* off the mark
* O mark
* on one's mark
* on the mark
* on your mark
* on your marks
* order mark
* order-mark
* overstep the mark
* paragraph mark
* penalty mark
* pitch mark
* plate mark
* Plimsoll mark
* plus mark
* pointing mark
* pontil mark
* port-wine mark
* privy mark
* proof mark
* punctuation mark
* question mark
* quick off the mark
* quotation mark
* quote mark
* reference mark
* registration mark
* Regulo mark
* remainder mark
* re-mark
* remark
* reporting mark
* ripple mark
* scent mark
* scuff mark
* sea mark
* service mark
* shilling mark
* shoulder mark
* skid-mark
* skid mark
* slap mark
* slash-mark
* slash mark
* slow off the mark
* sole mark
* spectacular mark
* speech mark
* strawberry mark
* stress mark
* stretch mark
* swan mark
* teeth mark
* tempo mark
* tick mark
* toe the mark
* tomahawk mark
* tone mark
* tooth mark
* touchmark, touch-mark
* track mark
* trade mark, trade-mark, trademark
* up to the mark
* vaccination mark
* walk the chalk mark
* wide of the mark
* witness mark
* word mark
* X mark
* year mark

##### Descendants

* → Bengali: মার্কা (marka)
* → Cantonese: 嘜 / 唛 (mak$^1$, maak$^1$)
* → Shanghainese: 麥克麥克 / 麦克麦克 ($^8$maq-kheq$_7$-maq$_8$-kheq$_7$)
* → Japanese: マーク (māku)
* → Korean: 마크 (makeu)

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

#### Verb

mark (third-person singular simple present marks, present participle marking, simple past and past participle marked)
* To put a mark on (something); to make (something) recognizable by a mark; to label or write on (something).
    to mark a box or bale of merchandise
    to mark clothing with one's name
** 1865 November (indicated as 1866), Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “Down the Rabbit-Hole”, in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, London: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC, page 10:[I]f you drink much from a bottle marked “poison,” it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.
** 1969, William Trevor, chapter 11, in Mrs. Eckdorf in O’Neill’s Hotel‎, Penguin, published 1973, page 177:Her son wrote badly, as if fearful of marking the page at all.
* To leave a mark (often an undesirable or unwanted one) on (something).
    Synonyms: blemish, scar, scratch, stain
    See where this pencil has marked the paper.
    The floor was marked with wine and blood.
** 1717, Alexander Pope, transl., The Iliad of Homer‎, London: Bernard Lintott, Volume 3, Book 12, p. 229:Those Wheels returning ne’er shall mark the Plain;
** 1855, Frederick Douglass, “speech given on 12 May, 1846. Appendix.”, in My Bondage and My Freedom. […], New York, Auburn, N.Y.: Miller, Orton & Mulligan […], →OCLC, part II (Life as a Freeman), page 410:Advertisements are from time to time inserted, stating that slaves have escaped […] marked with the lash, branded with red-hot irons, the initials of their master’s name burned into their flesh;
* (figurative) To have a long-lasting negative impact on (someone or something).
** 1939, John Steinbeck, chapter 10, in The Grapes of Wrath‎, Penguin, published 1976, page 104:The death of his wife, followed by months of being alone, had marked him with guilt and shame and had left an unbreaking loneliness on him.
** 1998, Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents‎, New York: Seven Stories Press, page 279:What Uncle Marc had been through as a slave marked him, I’m sure, but I don’t know how much. How can you know what a man would be like if he had grown up unmarked by horror?
** 2013 June 7, Joseph Stiglitz, “Globalisation is about taxes too”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 19: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 […].
* To create an indication of (a location).
    She folded over the corner of the page to mark where she left off reading.
    Some animals mark their territory by urinating.
* To be an indication of (something); to show where (something) is located.
    Synonyms: demonstrate, indicate, manifest, reveal, show, signal
    This monument marks the spot where Wolfe died.
    A bell marked the end of visiting hours.
** 1700, John Dryden, “The Wife of Bath Her Tale”, in Fables Ancient and Modern‎, London: Jacob Tonson, page 479:And where the jolly Troop [of elves and fairies] had led the round The Grass unbidden rose, and mark’d the Ground:
** 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter 4, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 49:She gave her an answer which marked her contempt, and instantly left the room,
** 1847 January – 1848 July, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 58, in Vanity Fair […], London: Bradbury and Evans […], published 1848, →OCLC, page 528:[…] the cloth was laid for him […] and a plate laid thereon to mark that the table was retained,
** 1973, Jan Morris, Heaven’s Command: An Imperial Progress‎, New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, published 1980, Part 1, Chapter 3, section 6, p. 61:[…] the lazy circling vultures marked the Hill of Execution, which was littered with human bones and scavenged by hyaenas.
** 2019, Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous‎, New York: Penguin, Part 1, p. 16:Her forehead, lashed deep with lines, marked her fifty-six years.
* To indicate (something) in writing or by other symbols.
    Synonyms: display, show, write
    Prices are marked on individual items.
    In her Bible, the words of Christ were marked in red.
** 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 219:[…] it was in the middle of May, on the sixteenth Day I think, as well as my poor wooden Calendar would reckon; for I markt all upon the Post still;
** 1875, Benjamin Farjeon, At the Sign of the Silver Flagon‎, New York: Harper, Part 3, Chapter 2, p. 84:“What does the clock mark now?” “Eight minutes to seven.”
* To create (a mark) on a surface.
    Synonyms: draw, trace
** 1768, Laurence Sterne, “Maria”, in A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy‎, volume 2, London: T. Becket and P.A. De Hondt, page 175:[…] on opening it [the handkerchief], I saw an S mark’d in one of the corners.
** 1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities‎, London: Chapman and Hall, Book 3, Chapter 10, p. 220:I mark this cross of blood upon you, as a sign that I do it.
** 1988, Barbara Kingsolver, chapter 6, in The Bean Trees‎, New York: HarperCollins, page 82:[…] I was testing a stack of old whitewalls, dunking them in the water and marking a yellow chalk circle around each leak.
* To celebrate or acknowledge (an event) through an action of some kind.
    Synonyms: commemorate, solemnize
    The national holiday is marked by fireworks.
** 2004, Alan Hollinghurst, chapter 11, in The Line of Beauty […], London: Picador, →ISBN, page 276:It was only four thirty but Gerald was marking his guests’ arrival with a Pimm’s, […]
* (of things) To identify (someone as a particular type of person or as having a particular role).
    His courage and energy marked him as a leader.
** 1815, Jane Austen, chapter 8, in Emma‎, volume 2, London: John Murray, page 134:[…] the son approached her with a cheerful eagerness which marked her as his peculiar object,
** 1901, Rudyard Kipling, chapter 5, in Kim‎, London: Macmillan, published 1902, page 115:The black dress, gold cross on the watch-chain, the hairless face, and the soft, black wideawake hat would have marked him as a holy man anywhere in all India.
** 1968, Bessie Head, chapter 1, in When Rain Clouds Gather‎, Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, published 2013, page 1:His long thin falling-away cheekbones marked him as a member of either the Xhosa or Zulu tribe.
** 2016, Julian Barnes, The Noise of Time‎, Random House, Prologue:Enquiring about the movement of trains—even if you were a passenger on one—could mark you as a saboteur.
* (of people) To assign (someone) to a particular category or class.
    Synonyms: classify, mark out
** 1951, Herman Wouk, The Caine Mutiny‎, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Part 2, Chapter 10, p. 113:The new captain would read the fitness report and mark him once and for all as an unreliable fool […]
* (of people) To choose or intend (someone) for a particular end or purpose.
    Synonyms: destine, mark out, target
** [1611?], Homer, “The First Booke of Homers Iliads”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., The Iliads of Homer Prince of Poets. […], London: […] Nathaniell Butter, →OCLC, page 28:When a king, hath once markt for his hate, / A man inferior; […] / […] euermore, he rakes vp in his brest, / Brands of quicke anger;
** 1970, Saul Bellow, chapter 5, in Mr. Sammler’s Planet‎, New York: Viking, page 230:[…] I know now that humankind marks certain people for death.
* To be a point in time or space at which something takes place; to accompany or be accompanied by (an event, action, etc.); to coincide with.
    Synonyms: represent, see
    The creek marks the boundary between the two farms.
    That summer marked the beginning of her obsession with cycling.
** 1912 February–July, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Under the Moons of Mars”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as chapter 16, in A Princess of Mars, Chicago, Ill.: A[lexander] C[aldwell] McClurg & Co., 1917 October, →OCLC, page 172:[…] we hastened toward the bordering desert which marked our entrance into the realm of Tal Hajus.
** 1962, Rachel Carson, chapter 3, in Silent Spring‎, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, page 17:Although the Second World War marked a turning away from inorganic chemicals as pesticides into the wonder world of the carbon molecule, a few of the old materials persist.
** 2002, Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex‎, New York: Farrar, Straux, Giroux, page 93:My grandfather’s short employ at the Ford Motor Company marked the only time any Stephanides has ever worked in the automobile industry.
* To be typical or characteristic of (something).
    Synonyms: characterize, typify
** 1818, Susan Ferrier, chapter 18, in Marriage‎, volume 3, Edinburgh: William Blackwood, page 264:[…] he still retained that simple, unostentatious elegance, that marks the man of real fashion—
** 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne, chapter 9, in The Scarlet Letter, a Romance, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor, Reed, and Fields, →OCLC, [https://archive.org/details/scarletletterrom01hawt/page/144 145/mode/1up page 145]:“Ah,” replied Roger Chillingworth, with that quietness which […] marked all his deportment,
** 1908, Arnold Bennett, The Old Wives’ Tale‎, New York: Modern Library, published 1911, Book 4, Chapter 1, p. 487:[…] Cyril’s attitude to his mother was marked by a certain benevolent negligence
* To distinguish (one person or thing from another).
** 1823 July 15, [Lord Byron], Don Juan. Cantos VI.—VII.—and VIII., London: […] [C. H. Reynell] for John Hunt, […], →OCLC, canto VIII, stanza 130, page 313:Indeed the smoke was such they scarce could mark Their friends from foes,
** 1943, Maurice Bowra, chapter 1, in The Heritage of Symbolism‎, London: Macmillan, published 1954, page 2:Despite their obvious differences these poets had a common view of life which marks them from their predecessors […]
** 1983, Elizabeth George Speare, chapter 24, in The Sign of the Beaver,‎, New York: Dell, published 1984, page 127:Each day was so like the day before, and Christmas Day, when it came, would not have anything to mark it from all the others.
* (dated except in the phrase "mark my words") To focus one's attention on (something or someone); to pay attention to, to take note of.
    Synonyms: heed, listen to, look at, observe, watch
    Mark my words: that boy’s up to no good.
** 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The life and death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene 1]:More are men’s ends mark’d than their lives before:
** 1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick: nobody marks you.
** 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 37:37:Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
** 1853, Elizabeth Gaskell, chapter 5, in Ruth‎, volume 1, London: Chapman and Hall, page 137:When they had passed out of the wood into the pasture-land beyond, Ruth once more turned to mark him.
** 2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall‎, New York: Henry Holt, Part 6, Chapter 2, p. 522:“When Wolsey came down, I said, mark him, he’s a sharp fellow. […] ”
* (dated) To become aware of (something) through the physical senses.
    Synonyms: hear, note, notice, observe, perceive, see
** 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, (please specify |part=I to IV), page 161:Some of them [the Animals] coming forward near the place where I lay, gave me an opportunity of distinctly marking their Form.
** 1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 53, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 525:He bent his eyes involuntarily upon the father as he spoke, and marked his uneasiness, for he coloured directly and turned his head away.
** 1881, John Bascom, “Improvements in Language” in The Western: A Journal of Literature, Education, and Art, New Series, Volume 7, No. 6, December, 1881, p. 499,
    […] it is to be remembered that a poor speller is a poor pronouncer. The ear does not mark the sound any more exactly than the eye marks the letters.
** 1955, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Return of the King‎, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, published 1965, Appendix A, pp. 347-348:Helm had a great horn, and soon it was marked that before he sallied forth he would blow a blast upon it that echoed in the Deep;
* To hold (someone) in one's line of sight.
** 1956, Mary Renault, chapter 22, in The Last of the Wine‎, New York: Pantheon, page 268:I marked my man, standing on the catwalk, and waited to throw [my javelin] till he started to climb inboard before they rammed.
* (Canada, UK) To indicate the correctness of and give a score to (a school assignment, exam answers, etc.).
    Synonyms: grade, score
    The teacher had to spend her weekend marking all the tests.
** 2024 May 15, 'Industry Insider', “Labour's plan for the railway”, in RAIL, number 1009, page 68:Under the proposals, an assurance is given that GBR (in the words of the plan) will not be marking its own homework.
* To record that (someone) has a particular status.
    to mark a student absent.
* (transitive, intransitive) To keep account of; to enumerate and register; to keep score.
    to mark the points in a game of billiards or a card game
** 1869, Mark Twain, chapter 12, in The Innocents Abroad‎, Hartford, CT: American Publishing Company, page 116:Dan was to mark while the doctor and I played [billiards].
* (sports) To follow a player not in possession of the ball when defending, to prevent them receiving a pass easily.
* (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.
* (golf) To put a marker in the place of one's ball.
* (singing) To sing softly, sometimes an octave lower than usual, in order to protect one's voice during a rehearsal.

##### Derived terms

* bemark
* man-mark
* mark as
* markdown
* mark down
* mark down as
* marked
* marker
* marking
* mark my word
* mark my words
* mark off
* mark one's own homework
* mark out
* mark someone's card
* mark time
* mark up
* mark-up
* mark with a white stone
* milemark
* pressmark
* unmarked
* X marks the spot

##### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Etymology 2

From Middle English mark, from Old English marc (“a denomination of weight (usu. half a pound), mark (money of account)”), from Proto-West Germanic *mark, from Proto-Germanic *marką (“mark, sign”). Cognate with Dutch mark (“mark”), Swedish mark (“a stamped coin”), Icelandic mörk (“a weight, usu. a pound, of silver or gold”). Doublet of markka.

#### Noun

mark (plural marks)
* (historical) A half pound, a traditional unit of mass equivalent to 226.8 g.
* (historical) Similar half-pound units in other measurement systems, chiefly used for gold and silver.
** 1997, “Egil's Saga”, in Bernard Scudder, transl., The Sagas of Icelanders, Penguin, published 2001, page 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.
* (historical) A half pound, a former English and Scottish currency equivalent to 13 shillings and fourpence and notionally equivalent to a mark of sterling silver.
** 1824, James Hogg, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, Oxford, published 2010, page 42:George, on receiving it, instantly rose from the side of one of them, and said, in the hearing of them all, ‘I will bet a hundred merks that is Drummond.’
** 2011, Thomas Penn, Winter King, Penguin, published 2012, page 167:He had been made a royal counsellor, drawing a substantial annual salary of a hundred marks.
* (historical) Other similar currencies notionally equal to a mark of silver or gold.

##### Synonyms

* (Spanish unit of mass): marco, Spanish mark
* (Portuguese unit of mass): marco, Portuguese mark

##### Derived terms

* convertible mark

##### Translations
### Etymology 3

From German Mark, from Middle High German marc, marche, marke, from Old High German marc, from Proto-West Germanic *mark (whence etymology 2 via Old English marc). The identical plural is also from German.

#### Noun

mark (plural mark or marks)
* (historical) A former currency of Germany and West Germany.
** 1928 November, “Reviews”, in The Occult Review, volume XLVIII, number 5, London: Rider & Co., page 356:Aus der Geschichte der menschlichen Dummheit. By Dr. Max Kemmerich. Price 3 mark 50 pfennige. Bavaria: Verlag Albert Langen, Munich.

##### Synonyms

* Deutschmark, Deutsche Mark, German mark, Reichsmark

##### Coordinate terms

* pfennig (1/100 mark)

### Etymology 4

An alternative form supposedly easier to pronounce while giving commands.

#### Verb

mark
* (imperative, marching) Alternative form of march.
    Mark time, mark!
    Forward, mark!

### Anagrams

* Karm

## Afrikaans
### Etymology

From Dutch markt.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mark/
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

mark (plural markte or marke)
* market

## Danish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mark/, [ˈmɑːɡ̊]

### Etymology 1

From Old Norse mǫrk (“wilderness”), from Proto-Germanic *markō (“border, marker”), cognate with German Mark f (“border land, marches”).

#### Noun

mark c (singular definite marken, plural indefinite marker)
* field (wide, open space used to grow crops or to hold farm animals)
    Synonym: ager

##### See also

* eng (“meadow, uncultivated open space”)

#### Further reading

* “mark,1” in Den Danske Ordbog

### Etymology 2

From Old Norse mǫrk, from Proto-Germanic *markō (“border, marker”), cognate with German Mark f (currency), originally the same word as the previous one.

#### Noun

mark c (singular definite marken, plural indefinite mark)
* (historical) mark (unit of currency, in Denmark from the Middle Ages until 1875, in Germany and Finland until 2002)
* (historical) mark (unit of weight, especially of precious metals, equivalent to half a pound or 8 ounces)

##### Derived terms

* finmark
* D-mark
* rigsmark

#### Further reading

* “mark,2” in Den Danske Ordbog
* mark on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia $^{da}$
* Mark (møntenhed) on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia $^{da}$

## Dutch
### Etymology

From Middle Dutch marke, from Old Dutch [Term?]. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mɑrk/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: mark
* Rhymes: -ɑrk

### Noun

mark f (plural marken)
* (chiefly historical) a march, a mark (border region)

#### Derived terms

* Marken
* markgraaf
* markgravin

#### Related terms

* marke

## Estonian
### Etymology 1

From German Marke.

#### Noun

mark (genitive margi, partitive marki)
* mark (a sign or brand)
* tally mark
* stamp (postage stamp)

##### Declension
### Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *markō.

#### Noun

mark (genitive marga, partitive marka)
* mark (currency)

##### Declension
## Faroese
### Noun

mark f (genitive singular markar, plural markir)
* (kvæði) forest
    Synonyms: mørk, skógur
* (in phrases) pasture
    Synonym: hagi
* (biblical) field
    Synonym: bøur

#### Declension
### Noun

mark n (genitive singular marks, plural mørk)
* sign
    Synonym: merki
* border, frontier

#### Declension
## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /maʁk/
* Audio; “le mark”:(file)

### Noun

mark m (plural marks)
* mark (currency)

### Further reading

* “mark”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

## Icelandic
### Etymology

From Old Norse mark, from Proto-Germanic *marką.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mar̥k/
* Rhymes: -ar̥k

### Noun

mark n (genitive singular marks, nominative plural mörk)
* sign, mark
* target, aim, mark
* (sports) goal
* (numismatics) mark

#### Derived terms

* daggarmark
* hitta marks
* lífsmark
* sjálfsmark

#### See also

* merki

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology 1

From Old Norse maðkr.

#### Alternative forms

* makk

#### Noun

mark m (definite singular marken, indefinite plural marker, definite plural markene)
* a worm (invertebrate)

### Etymology 2

From Old Norse mǫrk.

#### Noun

mark f or m (definite singular marka or marken, indefinite plural marker, definite plural markene)
* land, ground, field

##### Derived terms

* beitemark
* Finnmark
* rismark
* slagmark
* villmark
* våtmark
* ødemark

### References

* “mark” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mɑrk/

### Etymology 1

From Old Norse mǫrk.

#### Alternative forms

* mork (non-standard since 1938)

#### Noun

mark f (definite singular marka, indefinite plural marker, definite plural markene)
* land, field
* terrain
* ground
* (historical) march

##### Derived terms

* beitemark
* berrmark
* blokkmark
* brakkmark
* bymark
* dyrkamark
* engmark
* fastmark
* Finnmark
* flatmark
* gjetslemark
* grasmark
* hagemark
* heimemark
* hopemark
* innmark
* jaktmark
* lyngmark
* markadrakt
* markadress
* markblom
* markebol
* markeskil
* markgreve
* markjordbær
* markkrypar
* markmus
* markstein
* misjonsmark
* paddemark
* rismark
* skrapmark
* skredmark
* slagmark
* slåttemark
* snaumark
* stubbmark
* Telemark
* umark
* upløgd mark
* utmark
* villmark
* viltmark
* våtmark
* øydemark

### Etymology 2

From Old Norse mǫrk.

#### Alternative forms

* mork (non-standard since 1938)

#### Noun

mark f (definite singular marka, indefinite plural merker or (currency) mark, definite plural merker)
* a unit of measure equivalent to 250 grams
* (numismatics, historical) a mark
    det kosta 50 mark ― it cost 50 marks
** any of various European monetary units, including in Finland (1861-1999) and Germany (1948-1999)
** (numismatics, historical) an old Norwegian coin
*** (in the middle ages) a coin worth 8 øre
*** (19th century) a coin worth 24 shillings or 1/5 taler
    Synonym: ort
* (historical) a Norwegian unit used to measure the taxability of property

##### Usage notes

* The indefinite plural is usually merker, but in the sense of a unit of currency, mark might be used instead.

##### Derived terms

* austmark
* skyldmark
* vestmark

### Etymology 3

From Old Norse maðkr.

#### Alternative forms

* makk

#### Noun

mark m (definite singular marken, indefinite plural markar, definite plural markane)
* a worm (invertebrate)

##### Derived terms

* agnmark
* beitemark
* bendelmark
* bringebærmark
* børstemark
* fjøremark
* flatmark
* innvolsmark
* jordmark
* kjølmark
* klåmark
* kålmark
* latmark
* leddmark
* leiremark
* markefluge
* markemjøl
* markhol
* meitemark
* rundmark
* sandmark
* slimmark
* spolmark

### Etymology 4

From Old Norse mark n.

#### Noun

mark n (definite singular market, indefinite plural mark, definite plural marka)
* a mark

##### Derived terms

* svalemark

##### Related terms

* marke

### References

* “mark” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

### Anagrams

* karm, kram

## Old Swedish
### Etymology

From Old Norse mǫrk, from Proto-Germanic *markō.

### Noun

mark f
* woodland
* field

#### Descendants

* Swedish: mark

## Swedish
### Etymology

From Old Swedish mark, from Old Norse mǫrk, from Proto-Germanic *markō, from Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs (“edge, boundary, border”). Cognate with Latin margo (“border, edge”), Old Irish mruig, bruig (“border, march”).

### Pronunciation

* (singular)
** IPA: /mark/
*** Audio:(file)
* (plural)
** IPA: (gambling sense) /ˈmarkɛr/
** IPA: (other senses) /ˈmarˌkɛr/

### Noun

mark c
* (uncountable) ground (surface of the Earth (or some other planet, etc.), or the area (immediately) beneath it)
    Synonym: (less general) backe
    Fåglar gillar att flyga, men ibland går de omkring på markenBirds like to fly, but sometimes they walk around on the ground
    Han lade sig platt på markenHe laid down flat on the ground
    Hon kastade sig till markenShe threw herself to the ground
    löv som faller till markenleaves falling to the ground
    Tjuren frustade och stampade i markenThe bull snorted and stomped the ground
    Hon studsade bollen i markenShe bounced the ball on the ground
    Helikoptern tog mark och fattade eldThe helicopter hit the ground and caught fire
    gräva ett hål i marken med en spadedig a hole in the ground with a shovel
    Grävlingar gräver tunnlar i markenBadgers dig tunnels in the ground
    ha fast mark under fötternabe on terra firma ("have solid ground under one's feet")
* land, ground (area of ground)
    Bonden ägde mycket markThe farmer owned a lot of land
    Nisse äger marken på andra sidan sjönNisse owns the land on the other side of the lake
    kommunens markthe land belonging to the municipality
    privat markprivate land
    våtmarkerwetlands
    betesmarkpasture ("grazing land")
    minerad markmined land
    Styrkorna har vunnit markThe forces have gained ground
    vara tillbaka på klassisk markbe back on classic ground
** soil (land belonging to someone, when idiomatic in English)
    vara på brittisk markbe on British soil
** territory
    Synonym: (except sometimes less idiomatic) territorium
    vara på okänd markbe in uncharted territory
** (often in the plural) land in its natural state, wild land
    ströva omkring i markernaroam the countryside (for example)
    Det är torrt i markernaThere are dry conditions ("It is dry in the lands," focusing on wild areas like forests, etc.)
    vara ute i skog och markbe out in the wilderness ("forest and (wild) land," idiomatic)
* ground (distance, etc., similar to English – sometimes figuratively)
    Löparen tappade mark på sista varvetThe runner lost ground on the last lap
    Partiet har vunnit markThe party has gained ground
* (historical) mark (currency)
* (historical) mark (unit of weight)
* (gambling) counter, marker

#### Derived terms

* ta mark (“touch down, hit the ground”)

#### See also

* land

### References

* mark in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* mark in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* mark in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

### Anagrams

* karm, kram