aanduiden

Aanduiden is a Dutch verb meaning to indicate, designate, mark, or point out something so that it can be recognized or distinguished. The term covers both physical marking, such as signs or labels, and more abstract designation, such as identifying a person as a suspect or classifying data items.

Etymology and nuance: Aanduiden is formed from the prefix aan- and the verb duiden, which means to indicate or point out. The literal sense is close to “to point at” or “to designate.” The related noun is aanduiding, meaning designation, indication, or labeling.

Usage: In everyday Dutch, aanduiden is used for marking objects, signaling status, or identifying categories. It appears in phrases like iemand of iets aanduiden (to designate someone or something) and het gebied is aangeduid met een kleur (the area is marked with a color). In technical and academic contexts, het wordt aangeduid als (it is designated as) and data labeling, tagging, or marking items can be described with aanduiden.

Examples: Het pad is aangeduid met pijlen. De term wordt aangeduid als “ja” in het formulier. In een onderzoek kan men bepaalde kenmerken aanduiden als belangrijk.

Relation and synonyms: Aanduiden is closely related to duiden (to indicate), markeren (to mark), and labelen (to label). In some contexts, alternatives like aanduiding (designation/indication) are used as a noun.

See also: duiden, markeren, labelen, aanduiding.