markdown
Medium (commerce/retail contexts); Medium-High (computing contexts)Formal/Neutral (commerce); Technical/Neutral (computing)
Definition
Meaning
A reduction in the price of an item, typically to clear old stock or because of damage.
1. In retail/commerce: A reduction applied to the original selling price. 2. In computing: A lightweight markup language for formatting plain text.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Commerce: The word implies the price has been lowered *from* a previously established, higher price. Computing: Refers specifically to the syntax and system created by John Gruber in 2004.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The commercial meaning is identical in both variants. The computing term is global, though sometimes humorously called 'markdown' in UK contexts when referring to a price reduction in a tech context.
Connotations
Commerce: Neutral/standard business practice. Computing: Neutral/technical efficiency.
Frequency
The commercial term is common in both regions. The computing term has extremely high frequency in global tech/documentation communities.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Retailer] applied a markdown TO [product/stock][Product] received a markdown OF [percentage/amount]The [item] is ON markdown.To mark down [something].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “on permanent markdown”
- “to take a markdown (on something)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Essential term in retail management and inventory pricing strategy.
Academic
Used in business studies, retail economics, and computer science.
Everyday
Common when shopping, especially during sales.
Technical
Core term for a specific plain-text formatting syntax used in software documentation, blogs, and readme files.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- We need to mark down the remaining summer stock by 40%.
American English
- The manager marked down the damaged goods for quick sale.
adjective
British English
- The markdown rail is at the back of the shop.
- It's a markdown file with the .md extension.
American English
- Check the markdown bins for bargains.
- I edited the README.md markdown document.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The shoes have a markdown. They are cheaper now.
- This is a markdown price.
- The store applied a 25% markdown to all last season's clothing.
- I wrote my notes in Markdown because it's simple.
- Our markdown strategy aims to clear old inventory before the new collection arrives.
- The platform automatically converts Markdown syntax into formatted HTML.
- The finance team analysed the impact of aggressive markdowns on quarterly profit margins.
- He advocates for writing all technical documentation in a flavour of Markdown for consistency and version control.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: They put a MARK on the price tag to bring it DOWN.
Conceptual Metaphor
PRICE IS A LEVEL (brought down); TEXT FORMATTING IS ANNOTATION (adding marks).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'маркировка' (marking/labeling). The commerce term is 'уценка' or 'скидка'. The computing term is transliterated as 'маркдаун'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'markdown' as a verb (correct verb is the phrasal verb 'to mark down'). Confusing 'markdown' (retail/computing) with 'mark-down' as a simple adjective meaning 'written down'. Misspelling as 'mark down' when used as a noun.
Practice
Quiz
In a computing context, 'Markdown' primarily refers to:
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, 'markdown' is a noun. The corresponding verb is the phrasal verb 'to mark down' (two words).
They are often used interchangeably, but in retail, a 'markdown' often implies a permanent or semi-permanent reduction from the original price, often applied by the retailer. A 'discount' can be broader, including temporary promotions, coupons, or member savings.
No. Markdown is a simpler syntax designed to be easy to read and write, which is then often *converted* into HTML. It's an alternative for less complex formatting needs.
As a noun, it is standard to write it as one word: 'markdown'. The verb form is always two words: 'mark down'. The hyphenated form 'mark-down' is less common but sometimes seen.