Désigne

Désigne is a French verb form belonging to the verb désigner, meaning to designate, name, indicate, or appoint. In present tense, désigne appears as the third-person singular form il/elle désigne, meaning "he/she designates," and also as the imperative form désigne in the informal singular mood, used to give a direct command: "Désigne." The full present tense paradigm is: je désigne, tu désignes, il désigne, nous désignons, vous désignez, ils désignent.

Désigner itself denotes the act of marking out, naming, or pointing to someone or something as a particular person, role, function, or attribute. It is commonly used with a direct object, and can be followed by the preposition comme to designate someone as something, or by que for clauses: "Il désigne le gagnant" or "Ils désignent quelqu'un comme témoin." The phrase "désigner comme" is frequent in legal, administrative, and organizational contexts, where a person is named or appointed to a position or as a representative.

Etymology traces désigner to the Latin designare, meaning to mark out or point out, from design- 'mark out' and signum 'sign.' The sense of choosing or naming evolved in French over centuries to cover both marking and appointing roles.

Form and usage notes: désigne can be ambiguous in writing between il désigne (present indicative) and the imperative form Désigne (tu) used in commands. The past participle is désigné, and related forms include désignant (present participle) and désignation (nominal form, designation). The term is common across domains such as administration, law, politics, and everyday language.

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