A thin strip of material (paper, ribbon, leather) placed between pages to mark where you stopped reading.
Compound of 'book' and 'marker' (from Old Norse 'mörk', meaning mark or border). The modern sense developed when bookmarks became common reading accessories in the 19th century.
Before bookmarks were invented, readers used flowers, leaves, or pieces of fabric. The Victorian era turned bookmarks into art forms—people collected them, embroidered them, and gave them as gifts. Today, digital bookmarks are invisible but work the same way.
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