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[[Image:Raul654.jpg|1800px|center]]
==Name==
The name originates partly from [[Latin language|Latin]], meaning martial. From a Roman clan name (Marcius) and first name (Marcus) that are both believed to be related to Mars, the god of war. A similar form is Marcellus, or "little Mark", which gives names such as the French Marcel and the Italian Marcello. Symbolic meaning of the word can also be derived from ancient contexts.
In [[Biblical]] times, the Greek [[Tau]] cross was put on men to distinguish those who lamented sin, and newer versions of the Bible have replaced the ancient term “Tau” with “mark” ([[Ezekiel]] 9:4). Resonating with this, the Hebrew form of the word Tau is pronounced tov, which means "marking." Tau ("Mark") was also considered a symbol for [[life]] and/or [[resurrection]], whereas the 8th letter of the Greek alphabet, [[theta]], was considered the symbol of [[death]]. As an aside, many say that these two symbols created today’s plus (+) and minus (-) symbols.
In the [[New Testament]], the second [[Gospel]] was written by Mark, who apparently had many of the firsthand details from Peter, the leader of the twelve apostles. Mark is said to have traveled to Italy, and the name has always been popular there, especially in Venice, where the famous church of St. Mark is located.
In the thirteenth century, the Venetian Marco Polo visited the court of Kublai Khan and brought back the first accurate description of China. The name was introduced in England about the same time, but it was seldom used until the 1800s, when it was adopted in Britain and the United States. However, the widely known American author Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) took his pen name not from Mark but from an expression used by Mississippi riverboat pilots. It dropped from fashion early the 20th century, but then in the 1960s it began a strong revival.
Variations of the name Mark: Marc, Marco, Marcos, Marcus
The name meaning is often translated as "Great Warrior", obviously from its Latin meaning of "martial" and its association with the Roman god of war, Mars.
As well as being a popular male name, '''Mark''' is the name of several things of interest:
==Biblical==
* '''[[Tau]]''' is an ancient, symbolically equivalent meaning for "Mark"
* '''[[Mark the Evangelist]]''' - one of the [[gospel]] writers of the life of [[Jesus]].
* '''[[Gospel of Mark]]''' - the gospel of Mark the Evangelist.
* "'''[[Mark of the Beast]]'''" refers to the forced use of the alleged '''name of the [[Antichrist]]''' or the presumed "[[Number of the Beast (numerology)|Number of the Beast]]" ([[666 (number)|666]]), which it is claimed will be required to be imposed upon all persons as a condition of being able to engage in [[commerce]] as noted in the [[Book of Revelation]] of the Christian [[Bible]].
==Measurement and currency==
* '''[[mark (weight)|Mark]]''' - an archaic [[Europe]]an [[unit of weight]] whose use for precious metal gave rise to the currencies.
* '''[[Gold mark]]''' - the currency of the [[German Empire]]
* '''[[Deutsche Mark]]''' - the name of the former [[currency]] of [[Germany]], now replaced by the [[euro]].
* '''[[East German mark]]''' or '''Ostmark''' - the name of the former [[currency]] in [[German Democratic Republic]], replaced by the [[Deutsche Mark]] upon that state's unification with the [[West Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]].
* '''[[Estonian mark]]''' — the name of the former [[currency]] in [[Estonia]], replaced by the [[Estonian kroon]] in 1927.
* '''[[Markka]]''' or '''Finnish mark''' - the name of the former [[currency]] in [[Finland]], now replaced by the [[euro]].
* '''[[Mark (money)|Mark]]''' - a former unit of account in England.
* '''[[Convertible Mark]]''' - the currency of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]].
* colloquial term widespread in [[Commonwealth English]] for a [[Grade (education)|grade]] awarded to students' work.
==Geography==
* '''[[Marks, Mississippi]]''' - a town in the United States
* '''[[Mark Municipality]]''' - a municipality in [[Sweden]].
* '''[[Mark Hundred]]''' - a hundred in Westrogorhia, Sweden
* A '''''[[Mark (county)|Mark]]''''' or "County" - medieval state in [[Westphalia]], part of the [[Holy Roman Empire]].
* In the [[German language|German]], '''''[[Marches|Mark]]''''' denotes a border area of the Holy Roman empire. See also the [[English language|English]] '''"[[Margravate]]"'''. It was ruled by a ''markgraf'', or "[[Margrave]]". Examples are the [[Altmark]], [[Neumark (region)|Neumark]], and [[Mark Brandenburg]].
* '''Mark''', a river in the [[Netherlands]] and Belgium, see [[Mark (Dintel)]]
* '''Mark''' or '''Marcq''', a village and a river in [[Belgium]], see [[Mark (Dender)]]
==Literature and legend==
* '''[[Mark of Cornwall|Mark]]''' is a [[Kingdom of Cornwall|King]] of [[Cornwall]] in [[Arthurian legend]].
* '''"The Mark"''' - colloquial name for the fictional land of the Riddermark, [[Rohan]] in [[J. R. R. Tolkien's]] ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''. The name was probably taken from the German above.
==Slang==
* A '''"[[Mark (victim)|mark]]"''' - the slang term for the victim of a [[con game]] or as an intended victim of an [[Assassin|assassination]].
* Hence, a [[professional wrestling]] "[[mark (professional wrestling)|mark]]" -- the slang term for a fan who believes what they see is legitimate.
* When a [[trademark]] is used as a [[brand name]] to identify a product, or a [[service mark]] is used to identify the producer of services, either type is commonly referred to as a '''''mark'''''.
==Surname==
* '''[http://genealogy.wikicities.com/wiki/Category:Marks_Surname Marks]''' is a [[surname]].
==Technology==
* '''[[Mark (computing)]]''' - a delimiter at the beginning or end of a transmission sequence.
* '''[[Mark frequency]]''' - in radio transmission; see [[frequency-shift keying]].
==Sport==
===[[Football]]===
* To '''mark''' in [[football (soccer)|association football]] (or ''soccer'') is to have a player follow an opposing striker or other prominent player, and attempt to prevent them getting control of the ball and/or scoring.
* A [[mark_(Australian_Football) | mark]] in [[Australian Rules Football]] is a "clean" catch from a kick by another player, from either team. For a mark to be ''paid'' the ball must not have touched the ground or another player. A player taking a mark is entitled to a free kick, from behind the point at which the ball was caught.
* In [[Rugby Union]], a player can only ''make the '''mark''''' when they catch a high ball inside their own 22 metre or in-goal area. As they catch the ball they shout ''MARK'' at the top of their voice. If they catch the ball cleanly, the referee will give that player a free-kick on the spot where they caught the ball.
===[[Sailing]]===
* A mark in [[sailing]] is a permanent or temporary [[buoy]] that marks the course in a yacht race. It is illegal for a boat to touch any mark on the racecourse.
{{disambig}}
[[de:Mark]]
[[eo:Marko]]
[[fr:Marc]]
[[nl:Mark]]
[[pl:Marek]]
[[ru:Марка]]
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