landmark

Etymology

From Middle English *landmark, from Old English landmearc (“boundary”), from Proto-West Germanic *landamarku (“boundary, landmark”). Equivalent to land + mark. Cognate with German Landmarke (“landmark”), Danish landemærke (“landmark”), Swedish landmärke (“landmark”), Norwegian landemerke (“landmark”) and Faroese landamark (“land frontier”). Compare also Middle English londes-mark (“boundary”).

noun

1. (historical) An object that marks the boundary of a piece of land (usually a stone, or a tree).
2. A recognizable natural or man-made feature used for navigation.
   Anyone have any weird landmarks they often remember seeing along roads in the olden days? 2005-01-22, misc.transport.road (Usenet)
3. A notable location with historical, cultural, or geographical significance.
4. (figurative, also attributive) A major event or discovery.
   an important landmark in human history
   a landmark paper in neurosurgery
   a landmark ruling/case
   He called the overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and the recent elections in Afghanistan landmark events in the history of liberty. 2005-01-19, “Bush thanks troops at gala event”, in CNN.com
   Leicester closed out the win to spark emotional scenes as those inside Wembley rejoiced in a landmark victory. May 15 2021, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 0-1 Leicester”, in BBC Sport

verb

1. (US) To officially designate a site or building as a landmark.
   “Permitted demolition or stripping rarely occurs on landmarked buildings,” she said. Ms. de Bourbon also noted that the city already requires the Buildings Department to hold permits for 40 days for “calendared” properties — those currently under landmarks consideration — so the commission has a chance to designate them. March 25, 2007, Jeff Vandam, “Preservationists’ Rallying Cry”, in New York Times