trademark
trademark Lexical Profile
trademark Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A recognizable symbol, word, or design legally registered or established by use to represent a company or product.
"The company sued its competitor for using a logo that closely resembled its registered trademark."
A distinctive characteristic, trait, or feature that is firmly associated with a particular person or thing.
"His dark sense of humor became a trademark of his early films."
• verb
To register or legally secure the rights to a brand name, symbol, or design.
"They decided to trademark their new software's name before launching it internationally."
Word Nuance & Usage
Frequently confused with copyright and patent; a trademark specifically protects brand identifiers (like logos, slogans, and brand names), whereas a copyright protects original creative works and a patent protects inventions.
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed as a compound of 'trade' and 'mark', emerging in the mid-16th century to denote a distinctive symbol used by a tradesman to identify their goods.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.