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watermarks

 - 4 dictionary results

wa⋅ter⋅mark

[waw-ter-mahrk, wot-er-]
–noun
1. a mark indicating the height to which water rises or has risen, as in a river or inlet.
2. water line (def. 5).
3. a figure or design impressed in some paper during manufacture, visible when the paper is held to the light.
–verb (used with object)
4. to mark (paper) with a watermark.
5. to impress (a design, pattern, etc.), as a watermark.

Origin:
1625–35; water + mark 1

water line

–noun
1. Nautical. the part of the outside of a ship's hull that is just at the water level.
2. Naval Architecture. any of a series of lines on the hull plans of a vessel representing the level to which the vessel is immersed or the bottom of the keel. Compare load line, Plimsoll line.
3. the line in which water at its surface borders upon a floating body.
4. water level (def. 2).
5. Also called watermark. a line indicating the former level or passage of water: A water line all around the cellar served as a reminder of the flood.
6. a pipe, hose, tube, or other line for conveying water.
Also, wa⋅ter⋅line.


Origin:
1615–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To watermarks
wa·ter·mark   (wô'tər-märk', wŏt'ər-)   
n.  
    1. A mark showing the greatest height to which water has risen.

    2. A line indicating the heights of high and low tide.

    3. A translucent design impressed on paper during manufacture and visible when the paper is held to the light.

    4. The metal pattern that produces this design.

    1. A translucent design impressed on paper during manufacture and visible when the paper is held to the light.

    2. The metal pattern that produces this design.

tr.v.   wa·ter·marked, wa·ter·mark·ing, wa·ter·marks
  1. To mark (paper) with a watermark.

  2. To impress (a pattern or design) as a watermark.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

watermark  (n.)
1708, "distinctive mark on paper," from water + mark. Cf. Ger. wassermarke. Not produced by water, but probably so called because it looks like a wet spot. The verb is recorded from 1866.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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