delimit

American  

[dih-lim-it] / dɪˈlɪm ɪt /

verb (used with object)

1. to fix or mark the limits or boundaries of; demarcate.

   A ravine delimited the property on the north.

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delimit British  

/ diːˈlɪmɪt /

verb

1. (tr) to mark or prescribe the limits or boundaries of; demarcate

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Other Word Forms

• delimitation noun
• delimitative adjective

Etymology

Origin of delimit

1850–55; < French délimiter < Latin dēlīmitāre, equivalent to dē- de- + līmitāre to limit

Explanation

When you set the boundaries of something, you delimit it. Suburban homeowners often delimit their property lines with tall privacy fences. You can literally delimit something, the way you might delimit the boundaries of your airplane seat by planting your elbow on the armrest. There is also a figurative way to delimit, like when you delimit your summer schedule in an attempt to keep your cousin from visiting you for a month. Delimit comes from the Latin delimitare, "to mark out as a boundary."

Example Sentences

One can see this playing out today in the rules for citizenship, voting and other mechanisms that serve to define and delimit participation in democratic politics.

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2023

The two men also agreed that by the end of April they would set up a bilateral commission to delimit the joint border, the statement said.

From Reuters • Apr. 6, 2022

Long before we all started arguing about identity politics, Roth bristled at the suggestion his Jewish background should in any way delimit the nature of his fiction.

From Washington Post • May 23, 2018

Nothing in the law, he wrote, “indicates that Congress intended the department to define and delimit with respect to a minimum salary level.”

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2016

The second is missing the commas that delimit the phrases making up the list of inspirations: cooking, her family, and her dog.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• demarcate