designar

Designar is a verb found in Spanish and Portuguese with core meanings such as designating, naming, appointing, or assigning a person or thing to a role, task, or category. It can also mean to indicate or identify something or someone, or to mark or designate as a particular kind. The term is often used in formal, administrative, or analytical contexts.

Etymology: designar comes from Latin designare, meaning to mark out, indicate, or choose. The sense of selecting or marking out a person or object has persisted across the Romance languages.

In Spanish usage: Designar is commonly used to appoint someone to a position (designar a alguien para un cargo) or to designate a representative, a place, or a plan (designar un lugar, designar a un sustituto). It can also mean to label or classify (designar a una categoría). In many formal contexts, nombrar is used for official appointment, while designar emphasizes the act of designation for a specific purpose. Example: La junta designó a María como directora.

In Portuguese usage: Designar similarly covers appointing someone for a role (designar alguém para um cargo), labeling or identifying something (designar um objeto), and designating a target or category (designar uma classe). Example: A assembleia designou João para diretor. Designar is typically followed by a direct object referring to the person or thing being designated.

Conjugation notes: Both languages treat designar as a regular -ar verb. Spanish forms include designo, designas, designa, designamos, designáis, designan; Portuguese forms include designo, designas, designa, designamos, designam. The participle is designado/designada in both languages. See also designación/designação for related terms.