earmark

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. An identifying feature or characteristic: a novel with all the earmarks of success.
2. n. An identifying mark on the ear of a domestic animal.
3. v. To reserve or set aside for a particular purpose. See Synonyms at allocate.
4. v. To mark in an identifying or distinctive way.
5. v. To mark the ear of (a domestic animal) for identification.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A mark on the ear by which a sheep or other domestic animal is known.
2. n. Figuratively, in law, any mark for identification, as a privy mark made on a coin.
3. n. Any characteristic or distinguishing mark, natural or other, by which the ownership or relation of something is known.
4. To mark, as sheep, by cropping or slitting the ear.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive To mark (as of sheep) by slitting the ear.
2. v. transitive, by extension To specify or set aside for a particular purpose.
3. n. A mark or deformation of the ear of an animal intended to indicate ownership.
4. n. US, politics The designation of specific projects in appropriations of funding for general programs.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. A mark on the ear of sheep, oxen, dogs, etc., as by cropping or slitting.
2. n. A mark for identification; a distinguishing mark.
3. v. To mark, as sheep, by cropping or slitting the ear.
4. v. To designate or reserve for a specific purpose.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. identification mark on the ear of a domestic animal
2. v. give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause
3. n. a distinctive characteristic or attribute