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bookmark

/ˈbʊkmɑːk/ noun

Latin root: hastula Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about bookmark at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. A marker (a piece of paper or ribbon) placed between the pages of a book to mark the reader's place.

Origin

From Middle English *boke-merk, *boke-merke (attested only in the bare form merk (“bookmark”)), equivalent to book + mark. Cognate with Danish bogmærke (“bookmark”), Swedish bokmärke (“bookmark”), Norwegian bokmerke (“bookmark”), Icelandic bókamerki (“bookmark”). Eclipsed non-native Old English æstel (“bookmark”), from Old Irish astal, from Latin hastula (“little spear, splint”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)