birthmark

American  

[burth-mahrk] / ˈbɜrθˌmɑrk /

noun

birthmarks plural

1. a minor disfigurement or blemish on a person's skin at birth; nevus.

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birthmark British  

/ ˈbɜːθˌmɑːk /

noun

1. a blemish or new growth on skin formed before birth, usually brown or dark red; naevus

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• birthmarks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of birthmark

First recorded in 1570–80; birth + mark ¹

Explanation

A birthmark is a permanent spot on your skin, often dark brown colored. The actress Marilyn Monroe was famous for a small birthmark just above her lip. Most birthmarks are present from birth or soon after, and many are pigmented much darker than the surrounding skin. Strawberry and port wine birthmarks, on the other hand, are bright red. The causes of birthmarks vary, but they're almost always harmless. In the 17th century, they were sometimes called "longing marks," supposedly demonstrating the pregnant mother's longing for something before her baby was born.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

birthmark birthmarks

“Is that red spot on his head a rash or a birthmark I didn’t notice?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

He has the tender, shining eyes of an ingenue while Del Campo, who has a striking birthmark on her cheek, is a femme fatale able to hold her own against Wolff’s selfish, useless playboy.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2025

Mr Rhodes was born with a large facial birthmark as a result of congenital melanocytic nevus and was left with scarring following multiple surgeries to remove it as a child.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2024

In my shower in California, I scrub the soap against a rough white cotton washcloth and move the towel across every limb, every birthmark, every scar.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2023

And she had a birthmark that covered half her light-skinned face in dark brown, like a comic-book bad guy or something.

From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds

Mutations in the skin, for example, occasionally resulted in unusual pigment patterns such as port-wine stain birthmarks.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 15, 2023

Even among humans, identical twins can possess different birthmarks, wrinkles, or other features that arise during development sometimes due to differential gene expression.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

There are my moles, birthmarks shaped like butter beans because my Mom said she used to crave them when she was pregnant with me.

From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2021

Investigators also look for distinct tattoos, birthmarks or unique details in a decedent’s clothing that family members may recognize.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2016

There were people with quills in their hands and people with stars in their hands and people with birthmarks on their foreheads that looked like crescent moons.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill