Wa"ter*mark` (?), n. 1. A mark indicating the height to which water has
risen, or at which it has stood; the usual limit of high or low water.
2. A letter, device, or the like, wrought into paper during the process
of manufacture.
"The watermark in paper is produced by bending the wires of the mold,
or by wires bent into the shape of the required letter or device, and
sewed to the surface of the mold; — it has the effect of making the
paper thinner in places. The old makers employed watermarks of an
eccentric kind. Those of Caxton and other early printers were an oxhead
and star, a collared dog's head, a crown, a shield, a jug, etc. A
fool's cap and bells, employed as a watermark, gave the name to
foolscap paper; a postman's horn, such as was formerly in use, gave the
name to post paper." Tomlinson.