Etymology
1. "trace, impression," O.E.
mearc (W.Saxon),
merc (Mercian) "boundary, sign, limit, mark," from P.Gmc.
*marko (cf. O.N.
merki "boundary, sign,"
mörk "forest," which often marked a frontier; O.Fris.
merke, Goth.
marka "boundary, frontier," Du.
merk "mark, brand," Ger.
Mark "boundary, boundary land"), from PIE
*mereg- "edge, boundary" (cf. L.
margo "margin," O.Ir.
mruig "borderland"). The primary sense is probably "boundary," which had evolved by O.E. through "sign of a boundary," "sign in general," "impression or trace forming a sign." Meaning "any visible trace or impression" first recorded c.1200. Sense of "line drawn to indicate starting point of a race" (e.g.
on your marks ...) first attested 1887. The M.E. sense of "target" (c.1205) is the notion in
marksman (1660) and slang sense "victim of a swindle" (1883). The notion of "sign, token" is behind the meaning "numerical award given by a teacher" (1829). The verb is O.E.
mearcian (W.Saxon),
merciga (Anglian) "to trace out boundaries," from P.Gmc.
*markojanan. Both noun and verb infl. by Scand. cognates.
Mark time (1833) is from military drill.
Mark-up "amount added by a retailer to cover overhead and provide profit" is from 1920.
Marked man "one who is watched with hostile intent" is from 1833.
2. From Middle English mark, merk, merke, from Old English mearc (“mark, sign, line of division; standard; boundary, limit, term, border; defined area, district, province”), from Proto-West Germanic *marku, from Proto-Germanic *markō (“boundary; boundary marker”), from Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs (“edge, boundary, border”).
3. Compare march.
4. Cognates
5. * Dutch mark, merk (“mark, brand”)
6. * German Mark (“mark; borderland”), Marke (“mark, brand”)
7. * Swedish mark (“mark, land, territory”)
8. * Icelandic mark (“mark, sign”)
9. * Latin margō (“edge, margin”)
10. * Persian مرز (marz, “limit, boundary”)
11. * Sanskrit मर्या (maryā, “limit, mark, boundary”), मार्ग (mārga, “mark, section”). See: Latin '
margō'.
Verbs referencing "mark"
Tok Pisin mak.