definitions

delegate

[ noun del-i-git, -geyt; verb del-i-geyt ]
/ noun ˈdɛl ɪ gɪt, -ˌgeɪt; verb ˈdɛl ɪˌgeɪt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR delegate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person designated to act for or represent another or others; deputy; representative, as in a political convention.
(formerly) the representative of a Territory in the U.S. House of Representatives.
a member of the lower house of the state legislature of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia.

verb (used with object), del·e·gat·ed, del·e·gat·ing.

to send or appoint (a person) as deputy or representative.
to commit (powers, functions, etc.) to another as agent or deputy.

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RELATED WORDS

commissioner, nominee, deputy, envoy, member, minister, senator, authorize, accredit, elect, assign, designate, entrust, relegate, ambassador, vicar, mouthpiece, viceroy, emissary, surrogate

Nearby words

deledda, deledda, grazia, delegable, delegacy, delegalize, delegate, delegation, delegator, delegatory, delegitimatize, delegitimize

Origin of delegate

1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Medieval Latin dēlēgātus, noun use of Latin: past participle of dēlēgāre to assign, equivalent to dē- de- + lēgātus deputed; see legate
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for delegate

British Dictionary definitions for delegate

delegate

noun (ˈdɛlɪˌɡeɪt, -ɡɪt)

a person chosen or elected to act for or represent another or others, esp at a conference or meeting
US government a representative of a territory in the US House of Representatives

verb (ˈdɛlɪˌɡeɪt)

to give or commit (duties, powers, etc) to another as agent or representative; depute
(tr) to send, authorize, or elect (a person) as agent or representative
(tr) mainly US to assign (a person owing a debt to oneself) to one's creditor in substitution for oneself
Derived Formsdelegable (ˈdɛlɪɡəbəl), adjective

Word Origin for delegate

C14: from Latin dēlēgāre to send on a mission, from lēgāre to send, depute; see legate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012