stamp

The word “stamp” means a small piece of paper affixed to mail to show that postage has been paid. In plain terms, a small adhesive label for mail, or an official mark pressed onto something — and as a verb, to press down hard with the foot or with a marking device.

“Stamp” is pronounced stamp (/stæmp/ in IPA).

Here is “stamp” used in a sentence: “She forgot to put a stamp on the envelope before mailing it.”

Words with a similar meaning to “stamp” include postage stamp, revenue stamp, tax stamp and stomp.

Depending on how it is used, “stamp” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “stamp” comes from Old English. From Old English stempan, meaning to crush or pound, from a Proto-Germanic root for trampling — postage stamps got their name because early postal marks were literally stamped onto letters by hand.

“Stamp” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Stamp” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a small piece of paper affixed to mail to show that postage has been paid.

A stamp is a device that presses ink onto a surface to leave a mark, design, or date, and also the mark it produces. A seal traditionally makes a raised or embossed impression, often in wax, to authenticate a document. The two overlap in the sense of an official mark, but a stamp is usually inked and a seal is usually pressed or embossed.

A postage stamp is affixed to mail to show that the cost of sending it has been paid. A revenue stamp instead shows that a tax or duty has been paid on an item or document, so it relates to taxation rather than postal delivery.