markern.
/ˈmɑːkə/, U.S. /ˈmɑrkər/ I. A person who or implement which makes a mark or marks; a person who records, notes, or observes something.† 1. A secretary, clerk, or scribe. Obsolete. rare.† 2. † 6. cant. A receiver of stolen goods (see quot. 1591). Obsolete.† 8. A marksman. Obsolete.Apparently an isolated use.
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society > communication > writing > writer > [noun] > professional writer
writereOE
bookerOE
markerOE
scrivein?1208
scrivener1218
scrieverc1425
pen-clerk?c1430
scribe1435
scrivan1511
penman1552
scrivano1581
feather-driver1593
scriptora1600
Khoja1625
quill man1648
conicopoly1680
quill-driver1700
escrivain1744
sirkar1828
penworker1876
OE Aldhelm Glosses (Brussels 1650) in L. Goossens Old Eng. Glosses of MS Brussels, Royal Libr. 1650 (1974) 486 notariis : wri[terum], mærcerum.
a. A person who marks boundaries. Obsolete. rare.
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1460 Rec. Montrose Baillie Court 12 Jan. in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue (at cited word) The balȝeis sal haff halff the unlaw and the markaris off the ȝard halff.
b. U.S. A person employed by a surveyor to blaze marks on trees in order to indicate boundaries or lines of survey. Obsolete.
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1743 in New Jersey Archives (1883) 1st Ser. VI. 154 You are to employ..an assistant surveyor..& also proper chainbearers & markers.
1785 M. Cutler Ordinance 20 May in W. P. Cutler & J. P. Cutler Life, Jrnls. & Corr. M. Cutler (1888) II. 431 Each surveyor shall be allowed..two dollars for every mile,..including the wages of chain-carriers, markers, and every other expense.
1813 J. Steele Let. 23 Feb. in Papers (1924) II. 702 Two common axemen who may serve as markers.
1843 Amer. Pioneer 2 379 In running the back line of the survey..I was about one hundred yards in advance of the chainmen and marker.
3. † b. gen. A person who notes or observes something. Obsolete.
a. Hunting and Shooting. A person employed to note the places where game goes to cover after being put up. In quot. 1930 used of a hound in fox-hunting. Cf. mark v. 16, 28.
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the world > food and drink > hunting > hunter > [noun] > attendant at hunt > other attendants
marker1486
stopper1848
flapper1856
picker-up1977
1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. biijv Let yowre spanyellis fynde a Couy of partrichys and when thay be put vpp..ye most haue markeris to marke som of thaym, and then cowple vp yowre houndys.
1883 Cent. Mag. Aug. 402 Often, the best of markers will be baffled in finding the birds..after the springing of the covey.
1898 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport II. 75 When either of the markers has marked birds, he should blow his whistle once.
1930 R. Clapham in C. Frederick et al. Foxhunting xxviii. 275 Should hounds distance their field and run a fox to ground, the music of a few staunch markers lets the huntsman know in which direction to go.
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the mind > attention and judgement > attention > notice, observation > [noun] > one who takes note
marker1531
observer1555
digester1713
observist1827
spotter1913
1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xxii. sig. Liijv The hole description of this vertue prudence may be founden out and well perceyued, as well by the daunsers as by them whiche standinge by, wyll be diligent beholders and markers.
a1557 J. Cheke tr. Gospel St. Matthew (1843) xvi. 67 As in the beginning of Orestes of Euripides it mai appear, and els whear communli to a marker hearof.
1561 F. Coxe Short Treat. Wickednesse Magicall Sci. sig. Bvv Let none be founde amonge you..that useth wychcraft, or a regarder of times, or marker of the fleinge of foules.
c. In target shooting: a person employed to observe where shots strike the target; = spotter n. 3. Cf. sense 4a. Now rare.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > marker
marker1859
spotter1875
range marker1877
1859 F. A. Griffiths Artillerist's Man. (1862) 150 Markers mark for the pivot guns of half batteries.
1867 J. Tyndall Sound i. 23 The marker at the rifle-butts never fails to hear the explosion.
1874 Proc. National Rifle Assoc. 94 The markers..must retire into their mantelets as soon as the 1st gun..is discharged.
1914 N.E.D. at Spotter In target practice, one who notes the point where a shot strikes; a marker.
4. A person who records details.† b. Originally (at Christ's Hospital School, and at Cambridge University colleges): a person appointed to mark off the names of those required to be present at a religious service, Bible reading, etc. In later use also: a person who records attendance in a class, school, college, etc. Obsolete.
a. A person who records the score in a competitive game (esp. billiards or squash); (Cricket) a scorer (now historical).
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society > leisure > sport > recording score > [noun] > scorer
marker1532
scorer1732
notcherc1740
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > umpiring and scoring > [noun] > score > scorer
marker1744
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 403/2 It is pitie yt the man wer not made a marker of chases in some tenis play.
1679–88 in J. Y. Akerman Moneys Secret Services Charles II & James II (1851) 177 John Webb, John and Charles Dimion, markers in the tenis courts at Whitehall and Windsor.
1744 ‘J. Love’ Cricket i. 5 Save when the [billiard] Marker bellows out, Six love!
1774 Covent-Garden Mag. Aug. 283/2 [Cricket] If one of these gentry should be appointed marker, he will favour the side that he wishes to win.
1859 C. J. Lever Davenport Dunn 27 Sam Crozier was a marker at a billiard-table in Tralee.
1898 Earl of Suffolk et al. Encycl. Sport II. 242 Most games [of rackets] at clubs, and all matches, are played under the eye and voice of a marker who is placed in the gallery.
1974 T. Swift Squash Rackets 108 The Marker controls the game by calling the score and makes sure that the points are won correctly.
1988 I. Morrison Billiards & Snooker 11/2 It was John Carr of Bath, a marker at John Bartley's billiard room, who came up with the idea of putting chalk on the tip of the cue.
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society > education > educational administration > school administration > [noun] > record of attendance > recorder of attendance
marker1798
1798 S. T. Coleridge Let. 19 Feb. Every ward [in Christ's Hospital] was governed by four Monitors,..and by four Markers.
1813 C. Lamb in Gentleman's Mag. 83 ii. (Suppl.) 622/1 The Markers (those who were appointed to hear the Bible read in the Wards on Sunday morning and evening).
1849 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. May 601 His name prick'd off upon the marker's roll, No twinge of conscience racks his easy soul.
1893 Month Aug. 490 There are [in a Manchester industrial school] two non-commissioned officers, or monitors, who are termed the striper and marker respectively.
c. A person who records prices (in a stock exchange, betting shop, etc.).
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society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > [noun] > prices of stocks and shares > recording of prices or dealings > one who
marker1870
margin clerk1886
1870 J. K. Medbery Men & Myst. Wall St. 21 The ‘marker’ or black-board clerk writes off the prices upon the tablet.
1989 W. McIlvanney Walking Wounded 142 ‘A bookie's clerk!’ ‘Ah'm a marker. Ah mark up the prices.’
d. In Welsh slate quarries: an official employed to check and record the quantity of work done by miners. Now historical.
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society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > manual or industrial worker > miner > [noun] > supervisors or inspectors
bottom captain1778
back-overman1876
marker1901
cap-man1921
1901 Daily Chron. 15 May 8/6 One man..who occupied the position of marker in the quarries..turned back.
5. A person who puts a mark, stamp, brand, etc., on something.
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society > communication > indication > marking > [noun] > one who
marker1553
1553 Act 7 Edw. VI c. 7 §1 The penaltie..dependeth..not upon the seller, ne maker, marker or fellor of the same [fuel].
1723 J. Chamberlayne Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (ed. 26) ii. Gen. List 533 Marker of Dice, John Rollos.
1842 Penny Cycl. XXIII. 372/1 The swan-markers of the crown and the two Companies [sc. Dyers and Vintners] of the city of London go up the river [Thames] for the purpose of..marking the young birds.
1907 S. E. White Arizona Nights (U.K. ed.) i. viii. 149 In the meantime the marker was engaged in his work. First, with a sharp knife he cut off slanting the upper quarter of one ear [of a calf].
1928 Collier's 29 Dec. 6/2 There was a lull in the stream of lumber. The marker turned for a look at the order board.
1937 Brit. Birds 31 5 The running cost will be mainly covered, as hitherto, by the subscriptions from markers at the rate of six shillings for every hundred rings issued.
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the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > receiver of stolen goods > [noun]
receiver?a1400
intaker1421
resetterc1430
marker1591
marter1591
fence1699
fencer1699
fencing-cully1699
lock1699
family man1747
locker1753
drop1915
smasher1929
handler1995
1591 R. Greene Second Pt. Conny-catching sig. Bv In Lifting Law. He that first stealeth, [is] the Lift. He that receiues it, the Markar.
7.
a. An implement, tool, or device for making a mark or marks.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > marking tools > [noun]
marker1725
society > communication > indication > marking > [noun] > implement
marking stone1534
marking iron1723
marker1725
marking pen1884
1725 W. Halfpenny Art of Sound Building 52 With a Marker describe the Cross-Joints.
1862 Harper's Mag. June 28/1 The name, or private mark, of the parties owning the logs is branded by a heavy blow from an iron marker upon the logs.
1871 Trans. Illinois State Agric. Soc. 1869–70 8 239 After the field has been thoroughly prepared..proceed to check it off from east to west with a three-rowed marker.
a1884 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Suppl. 584/2 Marker,..an implement for marking off rows on the ground, as a guide for planting or dropping.
1906 E. W. Scripture Res. Exper. Phonetics ii. 24 The marker is adjusted to record on the smoked paper beside the lever.
1911 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 468/1 While the wax cylinder is rotating, the point of the marker is angled downwards, and this cuts deeply into the wax.
1949 B. J. Underwood Exper. Psychol. vi. 163 These markers write on a kymograph, a slowly rotating drum covered with waxed or smoked paper.
1981 W. Soyinka Aké ii. 22 She returned..carrying a slate with its marker attached to it.
b. = marker pen n. at Compounds 2.
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society > communication > writing > writing materials > writing instrument > [noun] > pen > felt-tip pen
marker1951
felt pen1957
marker pen1968
permanent marker1968
1951 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Fall–Winter 10002 b/2 ‘Magic Marker’ waterproof, instant drying black ink Marker, write on any surface, ideal for packages or cartons. Has built-in felt brush.
1967 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Fall–Winter 902/1 Set of 8 Felt-tip Markers. Write on almost anything. Instant drying ink. Waterproof, won't rub off. Use for drawings, labeling, addressing pkgs, etc.
1973 E. Wilson Embroidery Bk. (1975) ii. 135 It can be painted directly on the canvas by using..paints or markers which are not water soluble.
1988 Artist July 12/4 The markers can either be bought singly..or in packs of six of the same colour.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > competitive shooting > [noun] > shooter
markman1562
marksman1641
markswoman1802
marker1820
shootist1864
target-shot1905
1820 W. Scott Monastery II. iv. 155 The best marker may shoot a bow's length beside.
9. A person who marks or corrects a student’s work, or who assesses the standard of a completed test or examination. Also with modifying adjective, as hard, strict, etc. Cf. mark v. 9b.
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society > education > educational administration > examination > [noun] > examiner
examinator1484
examinerc1485
positor1494
examinant1587
poser1587
marker1884
flunker1910
1884 2nd Rep. Royal Commissioners Techn. Instr. IV. 137 in Parl. Papers (C. 3981-III) XXXI. i. 1 Some inspectors might be regarded as easy markers, others might be regarded as hard markers.
1892 Rec. Class of '92 Univ. Pennsylvania 240 Crawley, Schelling, and Jackson are all bad enough, While Goodspeed's a very strict marker.
1942 Accounting Rev. 17 102 The objective examination leaves no place for the exercise of judgment by the marker.
2014 Mercury (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 19 Feb. 2 There needed to be a uniform method of assessing and appointing markers for the matric exams.
10. Sport. A player assigned to mark or shadow a player on an opposing team.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > association football > [noun] > player > types of
marksman1927
marker1928
stopper1934
full back1958
sweeper1964
back four1966
libero1967
clogger1970
anchorman1974
target man1975
shadow1976
anchor1984
1928 Daily Express 12 Dec. 11/1 Aarvold..was away at once..,defying his markers, running in and out, shepherded towards the touch-line; but brushing past this man and that, till he..was across the line.
1947 Sun (Baltimore) 8 Nov. 12/2 The Bryn Mawr girls added another marker when Mrs. Menzies, the center forward, put another ball into the corner of the net.
1976 Sunday Mail (Glasgow) 28 Nov. 47/1 One wonders if Killie would have been better to use McCulloch less as a marker of Kenny Dalglish and more as an attacking midfield player.
1982 R. Widdows Hamlyn Bk. Football (1983) 40 Trapping the ball on the move involves..a wide variety of techniques, depending mainly on whether you're stealing away from a marker to get to the ball..or literally aiming to take the high ball in your stride.
1998 Sunday Tel. 25 Jan. (Sport section) 2/8 Dublin himself had a chaperon in Dean Yates, but it always seemed likely that he would be the one to escape his marker, and so it proved.
II. An object, etc., that serves to mark or distinguish something; an indicator.
11. Military. A person who is placed as a formation mark in troop manoeuvres or military parades.
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society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > soldier who practises drill or evolution > [noun] > marker
marker1796
guide1870
1796 Instr. & Regulations Cavalry 131 Markers will always be placed, to give the precise ground on which the countermarch is to be made.
1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry iii. 53 The Markers to be employed for Regimental Movements are the Adjutant, the Regimental Serjeant Major, and one non-commissioned Officer for each Squadron.
1958 E. Birney Turvey iv. 30 He had sat down in the middle of the square while acting as marker for the afternoon parade.
12.
a. An object or indicator that acts as a guide to direction, position, or route, or that marks a boundary, limit, etc.; a distinctive object, feature, characteristic, etc., indicative of some quality or condition.
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society > communication > indication > pointing out > [noun] > one who or that which
showerc1400
hand1563
fescue1648
signpost1658
fingerpost1738
indicator1819
marker1832
finger pointer1843
society > communication > indication > [noun] > an indication or sign
tokeningc888
fingereOE
senyeOE
markOE
showing?c1225
blossomc1230
signa1325
signifyingc1384
evidencea1393
notea1398
forbysena1400
kenninga1400
knowinga1400
showerc1400
unningc1400
signala1413
signification?a1425
demonstrancec1425
cenyc1440
likelinessc1450
ensign1474
signifure?a1475
outshowinga1500
significativea1500
witter1513
precedent1518
intimation1531
signifier1532
meith1533
monument1536
indicion?1541
likelihood1541
significator1554
manifest1561
show1561
evidency1570
token-teller1574
betokener1587
calendar1590
instance1590
testificate1590
significant1598
crisis1606
index1607
impression1613
denotementa1616
story1620
remark1624
indicium1625
denotation1633
indice1636
signum1643
indiction1653
trace1656
demonstrator1657
indication1660
notationa1661
significatory1660
indicator1666
betrayer1678
demonstration1684
smell1691
wittering1781
notaa1790
blazonry1850
sign vehicle1909
marker1919
rumble1927
1832 Proposed Regulations Cavalry iii. 46 Any fixed object or marker upon which a body of troops is directed to commence its formation into line.
1890 E. B. Custer Following Guidon Pref. 13 A small..flag..mounted on a standard with a metal point so that it can be thrust into the ground when in use as a marker.
1919 Summary of Operations Calif. Oil Fields (Calif. State Mining Bureau) V. i. 9 Marker, a distinctive stratum that can readily be identified during the process of drilling through it.
1946 D. R. Brower Man. Ski Mountaineering (ed. 2) 198 Equipment for rock and ice (for party of four)... 16 route markers.
1978 Detroit Free Press 16 Apr. d3/1 In using this increase on a raglan line, try this: Knit to within one stitch of a marker, make an arrow increase, knit one, pass marker, knit two, make an arrow increase.
1997 J. Moore Never eat your Heart Out 139 Which church you attended and your position in that church's hierarchy were social markers in the town.
b. A bookmark. See also bookmarker n. at book n. Compounds 3.
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society > communication > book > parts of book > [noun] > bookmark
senyec1440
sign?c1475
register1530
bookmark1833
bookmarker1835
marker1852
1852 M. R. Mitford Recoll. II. 184 I had no marker, and the richly bound volume closed as if instinctively.
1853 J. D. H. Dale tr. G. Baldeschi Ceremonial Rom. Rite 293 When carrying the Missal, he will take care not to displace the markers.
1889 Harper's Mag. Aug. 417/1 ‘I shall be glad to go too’, answered Mrs. Mile..putting a marker in her book, and rising.
1996 R. Mabey Flora Britannica 116/1 Tutsan leaves were still being used as Bible markers in parts of Somerset up to the Second World War.
c. Chiefly North American. A monument, memorial stone, etc., marking a place of special interest, a grave, etc.
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society > communication > record > memorial or monument > [noun] > structure or erection
markOE
monumentc1400
funerala1547
monumentala1687
remain1687
marker1906
society > travel > aspects of travel > guidance in travel > [noun] > that which guides or leads > landmark > stone > marking a place of interest
marker1906
1906 Springfield (Mass.) Weekly Republican 15 Feb. 16 The committee appointed to investigate the matter of a marker for the Washington elm reported in favor of a granite marker.
1939 Florida: Guide to Southernmost State (Federal Writers' Project) iii. 486 Wooden and granite markers rise starkly amid weeds and sand in the occasional country graveyard.
1959 A. G. Woodhead Study of Greek Inscriptions iv. 45 The commonest types of monument were the small cylindrical marker (columella), seldom more than two feet high, [etc.].
1985 R. Carver Fires 162 The two of us went out to Golden Gate Cemetery to put a pot of flowers on Harry's grave. But they hadn't put his marker in yet.
d. Chiefly U.S. A warning or indicator light, flag, etc., on a train, truck, or other vehicle. See also marker light n. at Compounds 1.
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society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > powered vehicle > parts and equipment of motor vehicles > [noun] > warning light
marker1906
warning light1937
1906 Locomotive Dict. Marker, a lamp or flag or reflector used to indicate the front and rear ends of a train.
1940 Railroad Mag. Apr. 48/1 Markers, signals on rear of train, flags by day and lamps by night, used to show the train is complete and as a protective signal.
1963 Truckers' Lang. in Amer. Speech 38 44 Marker, a clearance light on equipment.
1985 Truck & Driver June 27/3 The check should include tyres, lights, reflectors, direction indicators, markers, [etc.].
1992 A. A. Jackson Railway Dict. 172/1 White head end markers denote an extra train, green head end markers indicate that the train has been split and a second section is following.
e. North American. A distinctively marked or coloured animal belonging to a herd of livestock, identifiable to herders and used as a guide to the movement and number of animals.
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1913 W. C. Barnes Western Grazing Grounds 382 Markers, the black sheep in a herd. Every herder knows exactly how many of such he has and by running over them occasionally he feels fairly sure that if they are all there he has lost no sheep.
1936 R. F. Adams Cowboy Lingo 72 ‘Markers’ were animals with certain coloration or other marks easily distinguished and remembered by the owner and his riders.
1973 R. D. Symons Where Wagon Led iii. xi. 203 I counted all the ‘markers’, that is, old lead cows and distinctly marked steers and heifers and found them all, but no Blue.
1992 L. W. Attebery Sheep may safely Graze 68 He [sc. a sheep-herder] will probably count his markers—one black sheep for every 200 ewes—at least once a day.
f. A flare, distinctive sign, or other object used by aircraft pilot as an indication of a particular area, obstruction, etc.; spec. a flare dropped from an aircraft to illuminate or mark a target. See also ground marker n. at ground n. Compounds 1d(d), sky-marker n. at sky n.1 Compounds 3.
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society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > aircraft weapons or equipment > [noun] > target marker
marker1936
sky-marker bomb1943
marker bomb1944
target indicator1944
society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > navigation of course of aircraft > [noun] > light for guidance of aircraft
traffic light1912
beacon1918
flare path1919
airway beacon1926
obstruction light1934
marker1936
fixed light1960
1936 M. B. Garber Mod. Mil. Dict. 195 Marker, a symbol, letter, or figure on the ground, visible from aircraft, by means of which the operators are able to determine their position.
1944 Times 22 Mar. 4/5 The leading aircraft then dropped markers right across the middle of the target.
1951 Gloss. Aeronaut. Terms (B.S.I.) iii. 24 Markers, objects of approved shape or colour indicating specific areas and obstructions.
1980 D. Cameron Ballooning Handbk. iii. 62 They..fly back to drop their marker on the home field.
13. Games and Sport. In bezique: a card or small board with a number of dials used to record players' scores. In various other games: a card or pad of paper on which scores may be noted (see also bridge marker n. at bridge n.2 Compounds 2); a peg, pointer, token, etc., which serves to register a score.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > [noun] > scoring sheet or card
card counter1770
marker1870
scoring block1892
1870 Advt. in N.E.D. (1905) (at cited word) Bézique Playing Cards..with Markers.
1907 Army & Navy Co-operative Soc.: Rules & Price List 198/2 Whist marker, inlaid, pair 2/7.
1907 Army & Navy Co-operative Soc.: Rules & Price List 375/2 Playing card table..with drawer divided to take cards and bridge scoring blocks, whist cards and markers.
1910 Encycl. Brit. III. 841/2 The score is best kept by means of a special bézique marker.
1960 R. C. Bell Board & Table Games vi. 157 Little bone sticks marked with..dots are used to keep the score... Usually each player [at Mah Jong] starts with..2 markers with 10 red dots [etc.].
1988 I. Morrison Billiards & Snooker 38/1 Scoreboards..normally have two markers per player.
1990 Leading Edge Spring 6/1 The sleek..and lightweight device simply clips onto your belt or golfbag, and supplies every necessity: Ball brush.., score pen, tees, marker and extra ball.
14. colloquial (chiefly U.S.). to be a marker: to be worthy of comparison (with something). Usually in negative contexts, and chiefly with to.
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the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > [noun] > standard of comparison > as worthy
to be a marker1881
1881 A. Trumble Slang Dict. 48 ‘Pull down your vest’, ‘jim-jams’,..‘chalk it down’, ‘it isn't a marker’,..and many others, are nearly all American slang terms, and some of them quite modern.
1888 Congress. Rec. 12 Dec. 202/2 The waving of the bloody shirt would not have been a marker.
1895 H. P. Robinson Men Born Equal 145 It ain't a marker to what's ahead.
1904 W. H. Smith Promoters xxv. 366 What little I've told you isn't a marker to other things he said.
1974 W. R. Hunt North of 53° xi. 66 I tell you the early days of Montana were not a marker to what I have gone through this winter.
15. North American colloquial. A promissory note; an I.O.U.
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society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > paper money > promissory notes or bills of exchange > [noun] > a promissory note or bill of exchange
exchange1485
bill1579
bill1613
hundi1619
assignment1622
cambio1645
note1653
order1673
bank bill1682
banknote1695
assignation1704
promissory note1710
note of hand1728
stiff1823
time bill1842
PO1861
marker1887
1887 F. Francis Saddle & Mocassin xii. 225 Before half the deal was over, the whole bank of checks was gone, and Cuff was giving markers for hundreds as hard as he could go it.
1931 D. Runyon Guys & Dolls (1932) vii. 147 Now I am going to pay my landlady, and take up a few markers here and there, and feed myself up good.
1985 E. Leonard Glitz xiii. 112 He draws markers for up to two million in cash.
1990 Righting Words Spring 16/1 If the player wants a ‘marker’, he is asking for a short-term loan from the house.
16.
a. Telephony. A control device in an automatic telephone switching system which tests and selects incoming and outgoing circuits and causes them to be connected together.
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1918 Electricity 6 Sept. 477/1 The dialling of the three digits will set a train of impulse relays in the selector which act as intermediaries to energise particular relays for the required hundred, ten and unit, and in conjunction with a group of relays, called the marker, establish a marking circuit.
1957 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 904/2 The basic function of the marker is to make a preliminary test of several alternative paths to a wanted destination through an array of switches... It has been developed into a complex assemblage of electromagnetic relays which serves as the basic control element for the entire switching operation.
1986 G. Langley Telecommunications Primer (ed. 2) xiii. 36 This central ‘brain’ or register/marker is rather like a computer; it registers the number dialled, it checks that the calling number is permitted to make the call, and tests to see if the called number is engaged.
b. Electronics. A device in an oscilloscope or signal generator which superimposes a pulse on to the displayed signal to allow checking and adjustment.
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1960 N. M. Cooke & J. Markus Electronics & Nucleonics Dict. 276/1 Marker generator, an r-f generator used to inject one or more frequency-identifying pips on the pattern produced by a sweep generator on a cathode-ray oscilloscope screen. Used for adjusting response curves of tuned circuits, as when aligning f-m and television receivers.
1967 Electronics 6 Mar. 2 (advt.) Sweep Oscillators with RF and marker plug-ins meet virtually all of your swept frequency testing requirements... Plug-in markers offer not only variable bandwidth, but also Z-axis or pulse-type marking.
1992 RS Components: Electronic & Electr. Products July 1208/3 A marker may also be selected that halts the sweep ramp for a set duration. If the sweep output is used to drive the x-axis of an oscilloscope then the electron beam is also halted for the marker duration and the display will show a bright ‘mark’ on the trace.
17.
a. Genetics. A gene or allele that produces a readily recognizable phenotype and is used as a reference esp. in genetic mapping; (later also) a nucleotide sequence so used; (occasionally) the phenotype associated with such a gene or allele.
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the world > life > biology > biological processes > genetic activity > genetic components > [noun] > allele > types of allele
dominant1900
unit character1902
multiple allelomorph1913
lethal1917
marker1930
multiple allele1930
amorph1932
hypomorph1932
neomorph1932
isoallele1943
hypermorph1949
1930 Genetics 15 219 There is a certain expected amount of crossing over between the two mutant genes treated as markers of a given point.
1938 Genetics 23 291 In order to obtain Notch deficiencies, normal males carrying yellow (y—0·0) as a marker..were mated with females homozygous for cherry (wch—1·5) and wavy (wy—40·7).
1940 Nature 10 Aug. 199/2 It is..possible to recognise, by means of the markers used, what combination of chromosomes is present in the pseudo-backcross progeny.
1969 A. M. Campbell Episomes ii. 22 Phage resulting from DNA infection is distinguished from progeny of the helper phage itself by genetic markers.
1981 G. Winokur Depression v. 52 There is a very good marker on the X chromosome, that of colour blindness.
1993 N.Y. Times 24 Mar. a16/3 Dr. James F. Gusella..came up with a so-called marker for Huntington's [chorea], a piece of DNA that indicated roughly where the gene must be, somewhere on the upper arm of chromosome 4.
b. Biology, Medicine, etc. A distinctive feature, characteristic, molecule, chemical group, etc., used to identify a type of cell, cellular process or fraction, or molecule, to diagnose a specific disease, to serve as a reference point in separation procedure, etc.
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the world > life > biology > taxonomy > [noun] > identification or classification > distinctive feature which aids recognition
marker1961
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > characteristics > [noun] > characteristic
marker1961
1961 Lancet 16 Sept. 629/1 Detailed analysis of ten cells disclosed the three marker chromosomes... Of ninety-five metaphases examined, all three types of markers were clearly observed.
1970 Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 200 180 (title) Preparation of polymerase protein markers and an investigation of their behavior in sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
1980 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts Jan. 99/1 The availability of good tumour marker substances in the blood..would help.
1988 Daily Tel. 31 Oct. 19/1 Doctors would like to find a biological ‘marker’ for the disease [sc. schizophrenia], a physiological sign which would help make a diagnosis more objective.
1990 Jrnl. Exper. Bot. 41 1045 Proliferation of transgenic cells..has been observed using the enzyme activity of β-glucuronidase as a marker.
18. Linguistics. A word, affix, etc., which distinguishes or determines the class or function of the form, construction, etc., with which it is used.
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the mind > language > linguistics > [noun] > distinguishing feature
marker1933
property1953
1933 L. Bloomfield Lang. xvi. 269 Our determining adjectives, our prepositions, our co-ordinating conjunctions, and our subordinating conjunctions, may be viewed as markers.
1953 C. E. Bazell Ling. Form v. 67 And [in ‘hot and cold’] may be described as a ‘marker’, after which no question of constituents arises.
1964 Amer. Speech 39 53 The German plural marker -er is historically a derivational suffix.
1972 R. R. K. Hartmann & F. C. Stork Dict. Lang. & Linguistics 137/1 Markers may indicate the category of a linguistic unit at any level of analysis.
1990 Appl. Linguistics 11 16 According to Giles, Scherer, and Taylor (1979), speech has markers, or social markers, which generally serve to place a speaker within the social order.
19. figurative. Something serving as a standard of comparison or as an indication of what may be expected; a benchmark. Usually in to put (also lay) down a marker.
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society > communication > indication > [verb (intransitive)] > serve as a standard of comparison (benchmark)
to put (also lay) down a marker1979
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > [noun] > standard of comparison
watermark1660
point of reference1772
base1833
reference point1849
benchmark1884
profile1914
marker1979
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > comparison > compare [verb (intransitive)] > supply a benchmark
to put (also lay) down a marker1979
1979 Policy Rev. (Heritage Foundation, U.S.) Summer 110 The succession battle is already on. In the coming months others will start to lay down markers.
1982 S. Crosland Tony Crosland xxxvii. 314 If he stood he would be ‘putting down a marker’.
1991 N. Fowler Ministers Decide ix. 168 At the heart of the 1982 dispute was a so-called pay factor for public services of 4 per cent, which was intended as a marker for pay rises to those working in all public services.
1993 Scotsman 16 Mar. 19/1 The US Transportation Secretary laid down a warning marker on the type of negotiations to come.
Compounds
C1.
marker flag n.
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1945 Penguin New Writing 23 9 Dan buoys appeared..their marker flags drowned and bedraggled.
1959 Listener 12 Feb. 278/2 Among the maze of wheel tracks and hoof marks, I noticed a red marker flag.
1983 Ecology 64 464/1 A 10 × 10 m grid with labeled marker flags was constructed on the study plot.
marker light n.
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1943 Chambers's Techn. Dict. Suppl. 964/1 Marker light (Signalling), an indicating light on a signal post, to indicate the position or aspect of the main signal should its light have failed.
1971 M. Tak Truck Talk 104 Marker lights, the small lights that serve to outline a truck's length and width at night and in bad weather.
1986 Rail Enthusiast May 9/1 It is noticeable..that the two higher and lower centre marker lights have been removed.
1997 Rail 12 Mar. 32/4 The centre box locomotives had white marker lights placed in the headcode box.
C2.
marker beacon n. = beacon n. 6d.
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society > travel > air or space travel > action of flying (in) aircraft > navigation of course of aircraft > [noun] > radio beam or beacon
beacon1919
localizer1922
beam1927
landing beam1929
marker beacon1929
fan marker1948
1929 Techn. News Bull., Bureau of Standards Nov. 108 The Bureau has found it necessary to give..attention to marker beacons.
1934 Jrnl. Royal Aeronaut. Soc. 38 828 When a pilot had to maintain height, to observe instruments to ensure that he did not get into difficulties, and had also to listen for the marker beacon.
1971 Gloss. Electrotechnical, Power Terms (B.S.I.) iii. vi. 24 Marker beacon, in aviation, radio beacon which radiates a signal to define an area above the beacon.
marker bed n. Geology (a) a layer of sedimentary rock possessing distinctive characteristics (esp. fossils) which enable it to be recognized over a large area; (b) a sedimentary stratum that accounts for a characteristic seismic refraction time–distance curve.
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1956 Nature 21 Jan. 120/2 In areas where deep weathering or drift presents difficult low-velocity-layer correction problems, the reflexion times down to a known shallow marker-bed will give the necessary corrections for the deeper horizons.
1965 G. J. Williams Econ. Geol. N.Z. iv. 36/1 A recognisable marker-bed which could possibly be mapped over a considerable distance.
1989 Encycl. Brit. VII. 858/2 The term marker bed is also applied to sedimentary strata that provide distinctive seismic reflections.
1990 P. Kearey & F. J. Vine Global Tectonics iii. 47 Marker beds of tillite and coal, and sediments containing Glossopteris and Gangamopteris flora..can be correlated through South America, South Africa, Antarctica, India and Australia.
marker bomb n. a bomb emitting a coloured light, dropped in an air-raid as a target indicator.
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society > armed hostility > hostilities in the air > aircraft weapons or equipment > [noun] > target marker
marker1936
sky-marker bomb1943
marker bomb1944
target indicator1944
1944 Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War Oct.–Apr. 84 (caption) Different stages in the lighting up of a target by a marker bomb.
1962 Jrnl. Mod. Hist. 34 363/1 Not until 1944 were..marker bombs..advanced to the point where reasonable results could be assured.
marker burner n. rare a device which blazes a mark on the ground as an indicator for aircraft pilots.
ΚΠ
1947 Shell Aviation News No. 113. 7/3 These marker burners would give a clear patch in bad weather that would provide the pilot with actual visual contact with the ground.
marker crude n. a grade of (usually light) crude oil, the price of which is fixed by agreement between oil producers and used as a guideline for the setting of other oil prices.
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society > occupation and work > materials > raw material > mineral material > mineral oil > [noun]
petroleum1526
oil of petre1528
petrol1540
oil of saltpetre1685
earth-oil1732
white oil1763
mineral oil1771
coal oil1784
petroleum oil1799
crude oil1865
petroleum spirit1868
petroleum coke1881
crude1904
black gold1910
marker crude1974
benchmark crude1975
1974 Oil & Gas Jrnl. 14 Oct. 52/3 The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development..estimates future energy consumption on the basis of two possible crude prices, taking Arabian Light (34°) crude as its marker.]
1974 Oil & Gas Jrnl. 4 Nov. 46/1 The Iranians would set the base price at $9.84/661 for Arabian Light ‘marker’ crude... This would do away with such things as posted prices and tax-reference prices.
1978 Oil Supply Pattern (Shell Internat. Petroleum Co.) 1 Since October 1973 the basic prices of crude oils from most export sources have been established by producer governments with reference to the Arabian Light marker crude price which has been set by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
1986 Auckland Star 7 Feb. a9 Oil producer Santos Ltd said the Government should use the criterion of ‘minimum possible change’ to the local crude oil pricing system, including retention of Saudi Light as the marker crude.
marker horizon n. Geology a layer of sedimentary rock possessing distinctive characteristics (as particular minerals, chemicals, or fossils) which enable it to be recognized at different locations; a marker bed.
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1947 Engin. & Mining Jrnl. Jan. 80/2 Within the granite gneiss occurs a prominent and persistent layer of quartzite, varying in thickness from 100 to 700 ft... The disposition of this quartz-rich ‘marker horizon’ reveals that the bedrock has been arched to form two low domes.
1978 Jrnl. Ecol. 66 302 Correlation of dates between the Coolteen cores..was achieved on the basis of clear litho- and bio-stratigraphic marker horizons.
1990 C. Pellant Rocks, Minerals & Fossils 24 Wind systems can carry volcanic dust thousands of kilometres, high in the atmosphere, and the geological record contains many thin ‘marker-horizons’ of ash and clay from ash falls.
marker-off n. (in piano making) a person employed to shape and plane the bridge, and to mark the position of each string.
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1889 Work 23 Nov. 564/3 The business of the marker-off is..to plane the bridges to their proper height, mark the scale [etc.].
1901 Daily Chron. 3 Dec. 10/6 Piano Markers-off and Assistant Markers-off wanted.
1910 Daily Chron. 19 Jan. 12/7 Pianos. Bellyman and marker-off contractor wanted.
marker pen n. (a) a broad-tipped felt or similar pen, esp. with indelible ink; (b) a pen used for marking objects for security purposes, often using ink which is invisible except under ultraviolet light.
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society > communication > writing > writing materials > writing instrument > [noun] > pen > felt-tip pen
marker1951
felt pen1957
marker pen1968
permanent marker1968
1968 S. Yurick Bag v. 137 Every inch of wallspace was covered with markerpen graffiti.
1972 Times 14 Dec. 9/5 A higgledy-piggledy mixture of colours..all laid on with spray cans and felt-tipped marker pens.
1980 N.Y. Times 8 June iii. 19/3 For ages there was just the quill. Then came the fountain pen, the pencil,..the ball point pen,..the marker pen, the felt-tip pen, [etc.].
1986 Daily Tel. 15 Oct. 15/5 (advt.) A special Property Marker Pen is free with every Sun Alliance Home Insurance policy issued with this offer. Use it to mark your precious objects invisibly with your house number and postcode.
1998 A. Sturgeon Planted 124/1 Sowing kit: You'll need: seed trays... waterproof labels, waterproof marker pen, clear polythene or glass, and a sieve.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2000; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.OE