mark

mark · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*mórǵs“edge, boundary, border”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*markō“boundary; boundary marker”
3. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*marku
4. Old English · derived frommearc“mark, sign, line of division; standard; boundary, limit, term, border; defined area, district, province”
5. Middle English · derived frommark
6. English todaymark

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”). Compare march. Cognates * Dutch mark, merk (“mark, brand”) * German Mark (“mark; borderland”), Marke (“mark, brand”) * Swedish mark (“mark, land, territory”) * Icelandic mark (“mark, sign”) * Latin margō (“edge, margin”) * Persian مرز (marz, “limit, boundary”) * Sanskrit मर्या (maryā, “limit, mark, boundary”), मार्ग (mārga, “mark, section”).

mark · noun²

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*marką“mark, sign”
2. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*mark
3. Old English · derived frommarc“a denomination of weight (usu. half a pound), mark (money of account)”
4. Middle English · derived frommark
5. English todaymark

From Middle English mark, from Old English marc (“a denomination of weight (usu. half a pound), mark (money of account)”), from Proto-West Germanic *mark, from Proto-Germanic *marką (“mark, sign”). Cognate with Dutch mark (“mark”), Swedish mark (“a stamped coin”), Icelandic mörk (“a weight, usu. a pound, of silver or gold”). Doublet of markka.

mark · noun³

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*mark
2. Old High German · derived frommarc
3. Middle High German · derived frommarc
4. German · borrowed fromMark
5. English todaymark

From German Mark, from Middle High German marc, marche, marke, from Old High German marc, from Proto-West Germanic *mark (whence etymology 2 via Old English marc). The identical plural is also from German.

mark · verb⁴

An alternative form supposedly easier to pronounce while giving commands.

Mark · proper noun, noun⁵

1. Proto-Italic · derived from*Māwortis
2. Middle English · inherited fromMark
3. English todayMark

From Middle English Mark, from the Latin praenomen (i.e. first name) Mārcus, derived from Mārs, the Roman god of war, originally Māvors, from Proto-Italic *Māwortis.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• 9th–19th c. A boundary; a border or frontier.
• 13th–18th c. A boundary-post or fence.
• from 14th c. A stone or post used to indicate position and guide travellers.
• from 19th c. The line indicating an athlete's starting-point.
• from 18th c. A type of small region or principality.
• from 19th c. A common, or area of common land, especially among early Germanic peoples.
• from 8th c. An omen; a symptomatic indicator of something.
• from 16th c. A characteristic feature.