hallmark
Plural: hallmarks
Noun
- a distinctive characteristic or attribute
- a mark on an article of trade to indicate its origin and authenticity
- A distinguishing characteristic.
- An official marking made by a trusted party, usually an assay office, on items made of precious metals.
Verb
Verb Forms: hallmarked, hallmarking, hallmarks
- To officially stamp an object to certify its quality or origin.
- To provide or stamp with a hallmark.
Examples
- His ability to spot high-scoring prefixes was a HALLMARK of his Scrabble strategy.
Origin / Etymology
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.
Synonyms
assay-mark, authentication, earmark, stylemark, trademark
Scrabble Score: 17
hallmark: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordhallmark: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
hallmark: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary