Definition of the word rubber stamp

The term "rubber stamp" originated during the mid-19th century in relation to a printing technique called chilling, which involved embedding a design in rubber and then pressing it onto paper, fabric, or other surfaces. The process earned the name "rubber stamping" because the designs were made using rubber materials. Additionally, some sources suggest that the term "rubber stamp" may have been inspired by the way politicians and bureaucrats were seen to "stamp" or expedite administrative matters through mass production, similar to the mass-production capacity of rubber stamping techniques. In any case, the phrase has come to generally describe any tool or device that repetitively applies a mark, inscription, or design without variation or individualized writing, just as a rubber stamp presses an identical pattern onto every sheet of paper without varying the design.