demarcate

[dih-mahr-keyt, dee-mahr-keyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR demarcate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), de·mar·cat·ed, de·mar·cat·ing.

to determine or mark off the boundaries or limits of: to demarcate a piece of property.

to separate distinctly: to demarcate the lots with fences.

Origin of demarcate

First recorded in 1810–20; back formation from demarcation

Related formsde·mar·ca·tor, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for demarcate

delimit, detach, divide, separate

Examples from the Web for demarcate

Contemporary Examples of demarcate

We used Flor Fedora carpet tiles to demarcate the display areas, in place of heavy platforms.
The Curator's Tale
Ellen Lupton
July 7, 2010

Historical Examples of demarcate

General Liu and I proposed to demarcate south of the Taiping.
A Civil Servant in Burma
Herbert Thirkel White
Out at Hillside the stones that demarcate the territory of an old-fashioned house are new and snowily whitewashed.
Pipefuls
Christopher Morley

British Dictionary definitions for demarcate

demarcate

verb (tr)

to mark, fix, or draw the boundaries, limits, etc, of

to separate or distinguish between (areas with unclear boundaries)

Derived Formsdemarcator, noun

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 demarcate

1816, back-formation from demarcation. Related: Demarcated; demarcating.