different between hallmark vs imprint

English

Etymology

1721. hall +? mark, from Goldsmiths' Hall in London, the site of the assay office, official stamp of purity in gold and silver articles. The general sense of "mark of quality" first recorded 1864. Use as a verb from 1773.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?h?lm??k/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?h??lm??k/

Noun

hallmark (plural hallmarks)

1. A distinguishing characteristic.
2. An official marking made by a trusted party, usually an assay office, on items made of precious metals.
   • 2007, John Zerzan John, Silence.

     It can highlight our embodiment, a qualitative step away from the hallmark machines that work so resolutely to disembody us.

Translations

Verb

hallmark (third-person singular simple present hallmarks, present participle hallmarking, simple past and past participle hallmarked)

1. To provide or stamp with a hallmark.

Translations

See also

• benchmark

English

Etymology 1

From Old French empreinte, from the past participle of empreindre, from Latin imprimere

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??m.p??nt/

Noun

imprint (plural imprints)

1. An impression; the mark left behind by printing something.

   The day left an imprint in my mind.
2. The name and details of a publisher or printer, as printed in a book etc.; a publishing house.
3. A distinctive marking, symbol or logo.

   The shirts bore the company imprint on the right sleeve.

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English emprinten, enprinten, from Old French empreinter, from the past participle of empreindre, from Latin imprimere

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?m?p??nt/

Verb

imprint (third-person singular simple present imprints, present participle imprinting, simple past and past participle imprinted)

1. To leave a print, impression, image, etc.
2. To learn something indelibly at a particular stage of life, such as who one's parents are.
3. To mark a gene as being from a particular parent so that only one of the two copies of the gene is expressed.

Derived terms

• imprint on

Translations