demarcate
verb
ˈdē-ˌmär-
Shanay Cadette
Did you know?
It’s reasonable to assume that demarcate inspired the noun demarcation—many a noun has been formed by adding the suffix -ion to an existing verb. But in this case you'd also be wrong; demarcation came first, with the verb demarcate following as a back-formation. We can ultimately thank Spanish for both: the Spanish noun demarcación (from demarcar, "to delimit") was used in 1493 to name a meridian dividing New World territory between Spain and Portugal. (A Spanish-born pope chose a meridian that favored Spain greatly.) Centuries later, English speakers began calling this boundary the "line of demarcation," and eventually applied that phrase to other dividing lines as well. By the early 19th century, demarcation had been verbified to create demarcate.
Synonyms
Examples of demarcate in a Sentence
Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2024
That name is one ironic gag; another punchline comes every time that onscreen text demarcates each space, only for there to be a near total absence of perceptible difference between the sites.
—Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
Created to demarcate and map urban and rural land using advanced geospatial technologies, PULSE will make that capability available to Better Cotton to validate farm-level data and reduce the cost of manual data creation and validation.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 8 Aug. 2024
The United States benefits from diplomatic engagement with China that allows both sides to clarify their positions, demarcate redlines, and defuse tensions.
—Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 27 June 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Demarcate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/demarcate. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
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demarcate
verb
ˈdē-ˌmär-
Medical Definition
demarcate
transitive verb
ˈdē-ˌ
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