waymark

nounC1Very rare — outside the 30,000 commonest English words, so you will meet it in writing rather than in speechToo rare in one of the two pools to compare — fewer than 20 uses in speech or in writing

Other forms: waymarks

A waymark is the small sign showing that you are still on the path. Follow the waymarks.

The reassurance matters as much as the direction, since most doubt is about whether you are still right. A missing waymark at one junction can send everybody the wrong way for a mile.

Definitions of waymark

1nounwaymarkThe small sign showing that you are still on the path.C1
“The waymark on the third stile had been turned round by somebody.”

waymark is a sign.

Where it comes from

Way plus mark, from the older sense of a mark set beside a way.

From way + mark.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Camping & Outdoors

Practise this word

waymark in the wild

The church is on a small hill and is an excellent viewpoint, and, for river travellers, waymark.
Oldbury-on-Severn
Originally a waymark was "any conspicuous object which serves as a guide to travellers; a landmark" (Oxford English Dictionary).
Trail blazing
The lighthouse guides passing vessels through the hazardous waters surrounding the Bill, while also acting as a waymark for ships navigating the English Channel.
Portland Bill Lighthouse
The Shropshire Way Main Route is a waymarked long distance footpath running through the English county of Shropshire.
Shropshire Way
The waymark is a white diamond with a black Hansjakob hat, the headwear in which Hansjakob is portrayed in many contemporary pictures and photographs.
Hansjakob Way I

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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