earmark
Other forms: earmarked; earmarks; earmarking
To earmark something is to set it aside for a specific purpose. If you’re saving money to spend it in a particular way — whether it’s for college or a fancy new pair of shoes — you have earmarked that money.
Originally, an earmark was a mark on the ear of an animal — such as a sheep — that indicated ownership. Similarly, when government officials earmark a resource, they're indicating what the resource will be used for. Earmarking is usually about money. $10,000 could be earmarked for cancer research. A grant could be earmarked for a children's hospital. Earmarking is a way of stating how something will be used.
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Vocabulary lists containing earmark
Most of these words are built from two common terms, and yet their meanings don't necessarily add up to what you'd expect. Even if you recognise and use these terms sometimes, do you know their origins and definitions?
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