hashmark
hashmark Lexical Profile
hashmark Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American One of the short lines painted along the sidelines and down the middle of an American or Canadian football field to indicate one-yard intervals and the inbound boundaries for spotting the ball.
"The referee spotted the football on the left hashmark before the offense lined up for the next play."
The symbol #, used to denote a number, pound weight, or social media tag; also, a short graduation line or tick mark on a scale or graph.
"Please enter your account number followed by the hashmark on the telephone keypad."
American A diagonal stripe worn on the lower sleeve of a military uniform to indicate a completed period of enlistment or years of service.
"The veteran sergeant wore several gold hashmarks on his dress uniform sleeve."
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the early 20th century as an American English compound of "hash" (from French hacher, meaning "to chop or slash") and "mark," originally referring to diagonal service stripes worn on military sleeves.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.