hallmark

[hawl-mahrk]

noun

1. an official mark or stamp indicating a standard of purity, used in marking gold and silver articles assayed by the Goldsmiths' Company of London; plate mark.

2. any mark or special indication of genuineness, good quality, etc.

3. any distinguishing feature or characteristic.

   Accuracy is a hallmark of good scholarship.

verb (used with object)

1. to stamp or imprint (something) with a hallmark.

hallmark

/ ˈhɔːlˌmɑːk /

noun

1. an official series of marks, instituted by statute in 1300, and subsequently modified, stamped by the Guild of Goldsmiths at one of its assay offices on gold, silver, or platinum (since 1975) articles to guarantee purity, date of manufacture, etc

2. a mark or sign of authenticity or excellence

3. an outstanding or distinguishing feature

verb

1. (tr) to stamp with or as if with a hallmark

Other Word Forms

• hallmarker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of hallmark¹

1715–25; Goldsmiths' Hall, London, the seat of the Goldsmiths' Company + mark ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of hallmark¹

C18: named after Goldsmiths' Hall in London, where items were graded and stamped

Example Sentences

Musical discourse, even more than musical performance, was a hallmark of Music Inn.

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Modesty is rarely a hallmark of Broadway musicals, as anyone who attends them regularly can attest.

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This pragmatic approach is a hallmark of Crow, who has led the school’s massive growth over the past two decades.

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Arguing, extreme displays of wealth, characters seemingly beamed in from another planet—“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” has all the hallmarks of a Bravo hit.

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When completed, the rigorously composed, historically inspired stone pavilion bore all the hallmarks of Johnson and Kelly’s more than half dozen collaborations.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• indication 
• trademark