hallmark
n. countablen. a typical feature or quality that helps you recognize something. It is often used to describe a sign of high quality or a person's unique style.
n. a distinctive characteristic or trait that identifies something as genuine or of high quality. Often used metaphorically to describe the defining feature of a person's work or a specific period.
Attention to detail is the hallmark of her work.
The director's hallmark is the use of long, unbroken shots that create a sense of realism.
While the plot was somewhat predictable, the sharp, witty dialogue remained the hallmark of the author's sophisticated literary style.
1721. From hall + mark, from Goldsmiths' Hall in London, the site of the assay office, official stamp of purity in gold and silver articles. The general sense of “mark of quality” first recorded 1864. Use as a verb from 1773.
Often used with the preposition 'of' to link the trait to its source.