What does bookmarker mean?
A bookmarker is something used to hold a reader's place in a book — a ribbon, card, pressed flower, or any object slipped between the pages so the reader can resume where they left off. In everyday modern English the word functions largely as a variant of the far more common term 'bookmark', and it appears most often in American usage, though it is understood on both sides of the Atlantic. Less frequently, bookmarker can refer to a person who marks places in texts, such as a meticulous reader or an editor working through proofs. The word carries a cozy, literary connotation, evoking the tactile pleasures of print reading rather than digital life; in software, only 'bookmark' is used for saved web pages. Because it competes with an established standard term, bookmarker is best treated as a colorful alternative rather than the default choice.
nounA person or thing that marks a place in a book; in American usage especially, an object slipped between the pages of a book to mark a reader's place — a synonym of 'bookmark'.
- An object inserted into a book to mark a reader's place (a variant of 'bookmark', especially in American English).
- A person who marks places in books, such as a reader or proofreader.
"She tucked the pressed violet into her novel to use as a bookmarker."
"She lost her bookmarker somewhere between chapters twelve and thirteen."
"As a careful bookmarker, he never bent a page corner."
Regular plural formation.
"The gift shop sold leather bookmarkers stamped with the library's crest."
Long before browsers had bookmarks, readers were pressing flowers and ticket stubs into novels — every one of them a homemade bookmarker.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bookmarker
The word is a straightforward compound of 'book' and 'marker', formed in English from native roots: 'book' derives from Old English 'bōc', originally related to beech wood on which early Germanic peoples carved runes, and 'mark' from Old English 'mearc', meaning a boundary or sign. The compound arose alongside its rival 'bookmark' in the nineteenth century, when printed books became widely owned and keeping one's place became a small daily ritual. Its cognates are simply the other derivatives of these two old English words rather than borrowings from Latin or Greek.
Related word forms
How bookmarker is actually used
Informal to neutral. The form 'bookmarker' is considerably less common than 'bookmark' in both British and American English; many dictionaries treat it chiefly as an American variant. It can also denote a person, though this sense is rare. In computing contexts, only 'bookmark' is used.
Easily confused with bookmarker
'Bookmark' is the standard term for the physical or digital object that saves your place, while 'bookmarker' is a less common variant meaning the same thing, or occasionally the person doing the marking.