Markings

How to spell markings

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce markings

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does markings mean?

1. nounVisible patterns, lines, spots, or marks on the surface of something such as an animal, a road, or an object.

Markings in a sentence

• The cat had distinctive black and white markings on its face.

• Faded lane markings on the motorway made the junction hard to read at night.

Where does markings come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word descends from the Old English noun 'mearc', which meant a boundary, a sign, or a limit, and which had close cousins across the Germanic languages such as the Old Norse 'mark' and the German 'Mark'. The original sense was strongly territorial: a mark was the edge of a region, and the very same root survives in place names and in the old border districts called 'marches'. Over time the meaning broadened from a boundary to any visible sign, trace, or impression made on a surface. The verb 'to mark' produced the gerund 'marking', and the plural 'markings' came to describe the collected patterns, lines, or spots seen on an animal, a vehicle, or a road. Because the word is built transparently from the everyday root 'mark', its spelling holds few surprises; the only thing to watch is keeping the plain 'k' before the '-ings' ending rather than slipping in an unnecessary letter.

How the word is built

• mark (sign, boundary)
• -ing (noun-forming suffix)
• -s (plural)