Where does “hallmark” come from?
Hallmark comes from Middle English hallmark, from Old English hamermark, from Proto-Germanic *hamra- and *markō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱel-, meaning to strike or mark.
hallmark (English): A distinguishing characteristic; An official...
Definitions
- A distinguishing characteristic; An official...
Ancestry of “hallmark”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Mark | Abbreviation of Markarian |
| 2 | German | mark | — |
| 3 | Latin | Mārcus | — |
| 4 | Latin | Martīnus | — |
| 5 | Latin | -īnus | — |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -īnos | of/belonging to |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |