# designate

Pronunciation: say "DEZ-ig-nayt" /ˈdɛz.ɪɡ.neɪt/

## Verb

1. To set apart or assign someone or something for a particular purpose or duty, often with to or for.
   - Simple: To choose someone or something and set them aside for a special job or duty.
   - _Regulations designate a relief crew for each long-haul shift._
   - _The mayor moved to designate the warehouse as an emergency shelter._
2. To mark out and make known; to point out or indicate something, distinguishing it by marks or description.
   - Simple: To point something out clearly so that others can see or know it.
   - _Surveyors designate property boundaries with painted stakes._
   - _The catalog uses small symbols to designate which items are fragile._
3. To call something by a distinctive title; to name it formally.
   - Simple: To give someone or something a special name or title.
   - _Botanists designate hybrids using a standardized naming convention._
   - _The council chose to designate the square in honor of the late poet._

## Adjective

Pronunciation: say "DEZ-ig-nit" /ˈdɛz.ɪɡ.nət/

4. Placed after a role title to indicate that the person has been chosen for the position but has not yet taken it up. *(UK)*
   - Simple: Placed after a job title to show that someone has been picked for the role but has not started yet.
   - _The director designate spent two weeks shadowing her predecessor._
   - _Reporters questioned the prime minister designate about his early plans._
5. Appointed or chosen for a particular role or purpose.
   - Simple: Chosen or appointed for a role or task.
   - _The designate successor was briefed on her duties weeks in advance._
   - _Voters approved the designate delegates without objection._

## Origin

Borrowed from Latin dēsignātus, the perfect passive participle of designō, formed with the suffixes -ate. It is a doublet of "design."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/designate (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).