Afmarkaða

Afmarkaða is an Icelandic verb meaning to delineate, demarcate, or mark off; to establish clear boundaries or limits. It is used when describing the act of drawing borders, setting scopes, or clarifying distinctions in both physical spaces and abstract concepts. In cartography, law, governance, and data management, afmarka conveys the process of defining where one area ends and another begins, or where a particular set of criteria applies.

Origin and form: The word combines the prefix af-, meaning off or away, with marka, “to mark.” The infinitive is afmarka. It belongs to the group of -a verbs in Icelandic and forms standard verbal and adjectival derivatives. The related adjective afmarkaður describes something that has been delineated or demarcated.

Usage: In geography and cartography, afmarka is used to describe delimiting borders, land parcels, or zones. In legal and policy texts, it can denote the delineation of jurisdiction, responsibilities, or scope. In research and data management, the term refers to setting boundaries for analysis, inclusion criteria, or definitions.

See also: delimitation, demarcation, boundary, scope.

Note: While presented here in English, afmarka and its Icelandic usage occur within the broader vocabulary for describing boundaries and limits in Icelandic.