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demarcate

[dih-mahr-keyt, dee-mahr-keyt]
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verb (used with object), de·mar·cat·ed, de·mar·cat·ing.
  1. to determine or mark off the boundaries or limits of: to demarcate a piece of property.
  2. to separate distinctly: to demarcate the lots with fences.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for demarcate

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • 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)
  1. to mark, fix, or draw the boundaries, limits, etc, of
  2. to separate or distinguish between (areas with unclear boundaries)
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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

v.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper