hallmark

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 17, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>hallmark</strong> &#149; \HAWL-mahrk\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p>A hallmark is a distinguishing characteristic, trait, or feature. <em>Hallmark</em> also refers to a mark or design placed or stamped on something to indicate its origin, purity, or genuineness, as in "sterling silver hallmarks."</p> <p>// The entertainer's new book features the same kind of wry humor that is the <em>hallmark</em> of his radio show. </p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hallmark#h1">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"Clever, funny, and genuinely thrilling, the movie <em>Dumb Money</em> has all of the <em>hallmarks</em> of an epic finance film." — Lillian Brown, <em>Vulture</em>, 3 Oct. 2023</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>In the year 1300, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-I-king-of-England">King Edward I</a> of England (His Excellency also known most excellently as "Edward Longshanks") established a standard for gold and silver to ensure quality and prevent fraud. Thereafter precious metals had to be tested and approved by master craftsmen (and given the mark of a leopard's head) before being sold. Over the ensuing centuries, many London artisans brought their finished metal goods to Goldsmiths' Hall, where the Goldsmiths' Company had a charter to grant their unique mark of approval to wares that met standards of purity. (The process is much the same today.) At first, people used <em>hallmark</em> to name that mark of excellence from Goldsmiths' Hall, but over the years the word came to refer to any mark guaranteeing purity or genuineness, and eventually to any distinguishing characteristic, trait, or feature.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>