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delegate

[noun del-i-git, -geyt; verb del-i-geyt]
noun
  1. a person designated to act for or represent another or others; deputy; representative, as in a political convention.
  2. (formerly) the representative of a Territory in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  3. a member of the lower house of the state legislature of Maryland, Virginia, or West Virginia.
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verb (used with object), del·e·gat·ed, del·e·gat·ing.
  1. to send or appoint (a person) as deputy or representative.
  2. to commit (powers, functions, etc.) to another as agent or deputy.
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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 formsdel·e·ga·tee [del-i-guh-tee] /ˌdɛl ɪ gəˈti/, noundel·e·ga·tor [del-i-gey-ter] /ˈdɛl ɪˌgeɪ tər/, nounnon·del·e·gate, nounpre·del·e·gate, noun, verb, pre·del·e·gat·ed, pre·del·e·gat·ing.re·del·e·gate, verb (used with object), re·del·e·gat·ed, re·del·e·gat·ing.sub·del·e·gate, nounsub·del·e·gate, verb (used with object), sub·del·e·gat·ed, sub·del·e·gat·ing.un·del·e·gat·ed, adjective

Synonyms for delegate

5. entrust, assign, transfer.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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Contemporary Examples of delegator

British Dictionary definitions for delegator

delegate

noun (ˈdɛlɪˌɡeɪt, -ɡɪt)
  1. a person chosen or elected to act for or represent another or others, esp at a conference or meeting
  2. US government a representative of a territory in the US House of Representatives
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verb (ˈdɛlɪˌɡeɪt)
  1. to give or commit (duties, powers, etc) to another as agent or representative; depute
  2. (tr) to send, authorize, or elect (a person) as agent or representative
  3. (tr) mainly US to assign (a person owing a debt to oneself) to one's creditor in substitution for oneself
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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

Word Origin and History for delegator

delegate

v.

1520s (early 15c. as a past participle adjective), from delegate (n.). Related: Delegated; delegating.

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delegate

n.

late 15c., from Old French delegat or directly from Latin delegatus, past participle of delegare "to send as a representative," from de- "from, away" (see de-) + legare "send with a commission" (see legate).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper