countermark
1 of 2noun
coun·ter·mark
1
: an added mark designed to secure greater safety or more complete identification:
a
: a mark put on a package of goods belonging to several persons to show that it may not be opened except in the presence of all
b
: a hallmark added to that of the artificer of gold or silver work
2
: an artificial cavity formerly made in the teeth of horses to disguise their age compare bishop entry 3
3
a
: a mark on a coin that is not part of the original design but that has been added as indication of a change in the coin's value, in its issuing authority, or in its country of circulation
The 18 stiver coin of St. Martin issued in 1809 shows a bundle of arrows as countermark.
b
: a mark on a coin added as attestation of purity or standard value : chop mark
countermark
2 of 2transitive verb
: to apply a countermark to
countermark silverware
Coins were countermarked with a "V".
Word History
Etymology
Noun
translation of Middle French contremarque
Transitive verb
translation of French contremarquer