A.Word.A.Day --hallmark

A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact

Home

Today's Word

hallmark

PRONUNCIATION:

(HAHL-mark)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A mark of quality, genuineness, or excellence.
2. A distinguishing feature or characteristic.

ETYMOLOGY:

After Goldsmiths’ Hall in London, where articles of gold and silver were appraised and stamped. Earliest documented use: 1721.

JOKE:

A man prayed and prayed and prayed.
“These humans! Next time I flood the Earth no one is getting out alive,” God mumbled.
“Thank you for calling heaven. Your call is important to us. How may I help you?” He finally said.
“Someone gave me fake gold for my birthday. Can you make sure I get only the real stuff, you know, hallmark?” the man asked.
The man started receiving cheesy birthday cards from then on.

USAGE:

“She was full of the fierce self-reliance that had been a hallmark of her life. ‘You mustn’t worry about me,’ she assured me as we parted.”
Solveig Torvik; Nikolai’s Fortune; University of Washington Press; 2014.

See more usage examples of hallmark in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth. -Henry Beston, naturalist and author (1 Jun 1888-1968)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise