mark of Cain

noun3

1. •
   A mark of divine protection imposed on Cain, a biblical figure, for murdering his brother Abel.

   • The Bible vaguely describes the mark of Cain; it does not specify its exact nature.
2. •
   A stigma of shame.

   • When the engineer's design failed, he received a mark of Cain causing others to choose not to work with him.
3. •
   (offensive, no longer used) The darker skin found on people of non-European descent, believed to result from being a supposed descendant of Cain.

   • That the descendants of Cain were black, inheriting the mark of Cain. — 1849