designate
designate Lexical Profile
designate Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To officially assign, set aside, or give a specified status or purpose to something.
"The city council voted to designate the historic downtown district as a pedestrian-only zone."
To appoint or select someone officially to hold a specific office, role, or duty.
"The board will designate an interim director to oversee operations until a permanent successor is hired."
To signify, indicate, or identify something by a distinctive name, symbol, or mark.
"On this topographical map, dotted red lines designate seasonal hiking trails."
• adjective
Appointed or chosen for an office or position, but not yet officially installed (usually placed immediately after the noun it modifies).
"The prime minister designate held a series of briefings with cabinet advisors before the swearing-in ceremony."
Word Nuance & Usage
Note the pronunciation and syntactic shift between parts of speech: the verb ends with a long 'a' sound (/ˈdɛzɪɡneɪt/), whereas the adjective ends with a reduced vowel (/ˈdɛzɪɡnət/) and is often placed immediately after the noun it modifies (as in 'ambassador designate').
• Rhymes for designate
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 16th century from Latin designatus, the past participle of designare ('to mark out, point out, or appoint'), formed from de- ('out') and signare ('to mark'), from signum ('a mark or sign').