designare

Designare is a Latin verb of the first conjugation with senses centered on marking out, choosing, or indicating. The primary meaning is to designate, to appoint, or to select someone or something for a particular role or purpose. It can also mean to sketch, draw up, or outline a plan or design. In historical texts, designare appears in administrative, legal, or rhetorical contexts to signify appointment, while in descriptive or technical writing it can refer to outlining or planning.

Etymology and cognates: The term comes from the Latin designare, the present active infinitive of designō, and shares its root with the English design and with many Romance-language forms such as designar or designare. It belongs to the common group of -āre verbs in Latin, often indicating a deliberate act of marking or setting apart.

Grammar and principal parts: Designare is a first-conjugation verb. Principal parts: designō, designāre, designāvī, designātum. Present active indicative forms include designō, designās, designat, designāmus, designātis, designant. Perfect active: designāvī, designātum; imperfect: designābam, designābās, etc. The passive voice yields designor, designāris, designātur, designāmur, designāminī, designantur. Participles include designāns (present active) and designātus (perfect passive).

Usage notes: In classical Latin, designare often conveys designation for office or role, as well as the act of outlining a plan or drawing a design. The term also functions as the etymological source of many Romance-language verbs and of the English noun and verb design, linking concepts of marking, choosing, and planning.