stamp

Meaning

Noun

1. An act of stamping the foot, paw or hoof.
2. An indentation, imprint, or mark made by stamping.
3. A device for imprinting designs.
4. A small piece of paper, with a design and a face value, used to prepay postage or other dues such as tax or licence fees.
5. A small piece of paper bearing a design on one side and adhesive on the other, used to decorate letters or craft work.
6. (figuratively, slang) A tattoo.
7. (slang) A single dose of lysergic acid diethylamide.
8. A kind of heavy pestle, raised by water or steam power, for crushing ores.
9. Cast; form; character; distinguishing mark or sign; evidence.

Verb

1. (intransitive) To step quickly and heavily, once or repeatedly.
2. (transitive) To move (the foot or feet) quickly and heavily, once or repeatedly.
3. (transitive) To strike, beat, or press forcibly with the bottom of the foot, or by thrusting the foot downward.
4. (transitive) To mark by pressing quickly and heavily.
5. (transitive) To give an official marking to, generally by impressing or imprinting a design or symbol.
6. (transitive) To apply postage stamps to.
7. (figuratively, transitive) To mark; to impress.

Synonyms

seal

🦭

mark

imprint

postage stamp

impress

stomp

trample

brand

print

impression

pound

💷

postage

mould

press

sign

tramp

tread

symbol

punch

👊

mold

type

chop

die

💀

insignia

signet

emboss

pestle

step

label

🏷️

step on

hallmark

cachet

stump

emblem

form

rubber stamp

token

tap

stereotype

mint

sticker

sort

pigeonhole

crush

coin

🪙

engrave

kind

clomp

clobber

rubber-stamp

Translations

sello

🦭

timbre-poste

francobollo

Briefmarke

Stempel

timbre

bollo

postzegel

selo

🦭

segell

γραμματόσημο

cachet

🦭

prägen

stempelen

timbrer

Pronounced as (IPA)

/stæmp/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: stampen

Inherited from Old English: *stampian

Cognate with Old English: stempan

Cognate with Dutch: stampen

Cognate with German: stampfen

Cognate with Danish: stampe

Cognate with Swedish: stampa

Cognate with Occitan: estampar

Cognate with Polish: stąpać

In summary

From Middle English stampen (“to pound, crush”), from assumed Old English *stampian, variant of Old English stempan (“to crush, pound, pound in mortar, stamp”), from Proto-West Germanic *stampōn, *stampijan, from Proto-Germanic *stampōną, *stampijaną (“to trample, beat”), from Proto-Indo-European *stemb- (“to trample down”).
Cognate with Dutch stampen (“to stamp, pitch”), German stampfen (“to stamp”), Danish stampe (“to stamp”), Swedish stampa (“to stomp”), Occitan estampar, Polish stąpać (“to step, treat”). See also stomp, step. Marks indicating that postage had been paid were originally made by stamping the item to be mailed; when affixed pieces of paper were introduced for this purpose, the term “stamp” was transferred to cover this new form.