Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

designate

/ˈdɛz.ɪɡ.nət/ verb

In Latin: dēsignō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about designate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Assign a name or title to.
Give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person).
Indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively.
I showed the customer the glove section

adjective

Appointed but not yet installed in office.

Origin

Borrowed from Latin dēsignātus, perfect passive participle of designō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of design.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word