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

In its portrayal, strength isn’t about posturing but an individual hallmark that can be shored up and channeled.

Read more on Salon

Variety, says the historian Paul Freedman, is the hallmark of American cuisine.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It grew into a story bearing the stylistic hallmarks of the novelist’s later works.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It is a hallmark tactic of authoritarian rulers seeking to consolidate power.

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"We now know that digital IDs could be used for everything from tax and benefits to banking and education -- it has all the hallmarks of a sprawling national database that Britain has long rejected."

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• indication 
• trademark