Etymologically
Log in

designate

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 21:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /ˈdɛz.ɪɡ.nət/, /ˈdɛz.ɪɡ.neɪt/[1]

Etymology

The adjective is borrowed from Latin dēsignātus (“marked out, indicated; appointed but not yet installed”), the past participle of dēsignō (“to mark out, devise, choose, appoint”),[2][3][4][5] formed from dē- (“out”) and signō (“to mark”), from signum (“identifying mark, sign”),[3][6][5] from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ-.[6] The verb is from dēsignāt-, the past participial stem of the same Latin verb, with the suffix -ate;[2][5] Etymonline takes it instead from the adjective, or as a back-formation from designation.[3] The verb took over the senses of design that had to do with marking out and pointing out.[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a past participle, manifested or indicated: before 1475, in a translation of Higden's Polychronicon, a sense now obsolete.[2][5] Etymonline dates the adjective "marked out, indicated" to the early 15th century.[3]

Semantic evolution

The sense "appointed to an office but not yet installed", placed after the noun as in bishop designate, is recorded from 1646,[2][3] or from 1629 according to Merriam-Webster.[4] The verb followed: the OED, revised in 2012, records it from 1596 in the sense "to serve to point out, be a sign of",[2][4] from before 1616 for "to appoint to an office or purpose",[2] from 1669 for "to name or call",[2] and, of a word, for "to denote" since 1741.[2] These dates are well before those of Etymonline, which has the verb from 1791 and the senses "to indicate" and "to name" from 1801 and 1818.[3] The participle designated forms set phrases such as designated hitter and designated driver.[5][4]

Timeline

  • before 1475 – as a past participle, indicated, manifested (obsolete).[2]
  • 1596 – verb, to point out, be a sign of.[2][4]
  • before 1616 – verb, to appoint to an office or purpose.[2]
  • 1629 – adjective, chosen for an office but not yet installed (Merriam-Webster); 1646 in the OED.[4][2]
  • 1669 – verb, to name or call.[2]
  • 1741 – verb, of a word, to denote.[2]
  • 1791 – verb, to appoint, Etymonline's first date.[3]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To point out or indicate; to specify: Red flags designate the safe swimming area.[7][4][2]
  2. To give a name or title to; to call or classify as something: The valley was designated a national park.[7][4][2]
  3. To choose or appoint someone for an office or duty: She was designated as the team's spokesperson.[7][4][2]
  4. Of a word or sign, to stand for; to denote.[2][4]

Adjective

  1. Appointed to an office but not yet installed; placed after the noun: the ambassador designate.[7][4][2]
  2. (obsolete, before 1475) Indicated, manifested.[2][5]

Word family

  • designative
  • designator
  • designatory
  • designee
  • predesignate
  • redesignate
  • designated driver
  • designated hitter

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  7. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins