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Mark vs Brand vs Stamp vs Label vs Tag vs Ticket

Markbrandstamplabeltagticket are comparable both as verbs meaning to affix, attach, or impress something which serves for identification and as nouns meaning the thing affixed, attached, or impressed for such a purpose.

Mark, the comprehensive term of this group, in itself as distinct from context implies nothing about the way of affixing, attaching, or impressing and therefore may take the place of any of the remaining terms to suggest a means by which something may be identified, or such matters as its ownership, origin, and quality may be established.

Brand basically implies a burning or searing with a hot iron to make a permanent mark that serves to identify (as in respect to status, ownership, quality, or make). But brand has been extended to other methods of marking and then commonly stresses the indelibility of the mark and this implication affects its various extended uses much as does the more basic one (see brand n under STIGMA ).

In particular the noun often implies a being the identified product of a specified maker.

Stamp (see also IMPRESSION ) basically implies an impressing of a mark of identification, authentication, or authorization upon some softer material by means of a machine or instrument that hammers it in; it may imply also any comparable method of affixing a mark, usually with some suggestion of permanence or indelibility.

Label implies the affixing of a piece of material (as paper, metal, or cloth) upon something to show its name, description, origin, or the person and address to which it is being sent.

In its extended use label usually applies to the applying of an epithet, often rather arbitrarily, to something or someone.

Tag is applied to a label loosely attached (as to a package or a piece of baggage) giving directions or information; it often implies less permanent attachment than label.

Ticket in the relevant sense is more common as noun than verb and basically denotes a slip (as of paper, cardboard, or metal) usually conveying information or evidencing a right. Often the word is interchangeable with label or tag without loss of meaning.