Ear'-märk1, n.
n. 1. A mark on the ear by which a sheep is known.
Sense 2. (Law.) A sign or token by which one thing may be known from another; a note or mark for identification; a distinguishing mark. “Money is said to have no ear-mark.” Wharton.
Sense 3. Any distinguishing mark by which the ownership or relation of a thing is known.
What distinguishing marks can a man fix upon a set of intellectual ideas, so as to call himself the proprietor of them? They have no ear-marks upon them, no tokens of a particular proprietor. Burrows.