landmark

[ land-mahrk ]

noun

1. a prominent or conspicuous object on land that serves as a guide, especially to ships at sea or to travelers on a road; a distinguishing landscape feature marking a site or location:

   The post office served as a landmark for locating the street to turn down.

2. something used to mark the boundary of land.
3. a building or other place that is of outstanding historical, aesthetic, or cultural importance, often declared as such and given a special status landmark designation, ordaining its preservation, by some authorizing organization.
4. a significant or historic event, juncture, achievement, etc.:

   The court decision stands as a landmark in constitutional law.

   Synonyms: benchmark, watershed, milestone

verb (used with object)

1. to declare (a building, site, etc.) a landmark:

   a movement to landmark New York's older theaters.

landmark

/ ˈlændˌmɑːk /

noun

1. a prominent or well-known object in or feature of a particular landscape
2. an important or unique decision, event, fact, discovery, etc
3. a boundary marker or signpost

Other Words From

• un·landmarked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of landmark¹

before 1000; Middle English; Old English landmearc. See land, mark ¹

Example Sentences

The only way landmark legislation gets passed is one party has enough votes to pass that by itself.

From Freakonomics

This landmark legislation went into effect July 1, making Virginia the first Southern state to enact comprehensive nondiscriminatory protections for the LGBTQ community.

From Washington Blade

For one, California last year adopted a landmark law, AB 392, that changed the standard for when police can use deadly force.

From Voice of San Diego

Additionally, have in the post references of national landmarks and hotspots.

From Search Engine Watch

Joe Kocurek, a spokesman for Weber, said the landmark law was intended to apply to all California police officers, including those working for local transit agencies.

From Voice of San Diego

The Supreme Court eventually stepped in and ended legal segregation in the landmark 1954 decision, Brown v. Board of Education.

From The Daily Beast

Thursday evening will prove to be a landmark night in TV history.

From The Daily Beast

He was impressed by her landmark 2011 Human Rights Day speech linking fighting for gay rights to American foreign policy.

From The Daily Beast

Of course, as Landmark notes, the procedure is not without risk.

From The Daily Beast

Moreover, under Eric Holder the Justice Department has vigorously enforced the landmark Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr.

From The Daily Beast

But one would linger long on the way if hePg 83 paused at every landmark on the Southampton road.

From Project Gutenberg

And immediately the word bounty implanted itself in his mind as the first landmark of a marvelous story.

From Project Gutenberg

The thrilling of the frogs grew louder, and shortly she was at the old lightning oak that served her for a landmark.

From Project Gutenberg

It was obviously an industry-founder, a landmark invention on a par with the greatest, even in its incomplete condition.

From Project Gutenberg

Any way I looked I could see no break, no landmark, no trend of the land which could offer any sort of guidance.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• marker
• memorial
• milestone
• monument
• museum
• tree