Merriam - Webster Word of the day *demarcate*

demarcate

verb

de·​mar·​cate di-ˈmär-ˌkāt 
ˈdē-ˌmär- 


demarcated; demarcating
Synonyms of demarcate


transitive verb
1

: delimit
a plot of land demarcated by a low stone wall



2

: to set apart : distinguish
demarcate teachers as mentor, master and model teachers based on their level of education—


Shanay Cadette

Did you know?

It’s reasonable to assume that demarcate inspired the noun demarcation—many a noun has been formed by adding the suffix -ion to an existing verb. But in this case you'd also be wrong; demarcation came first, with the verb demarcate following as a back-formation. We can ultimately thank Spanish for both: the Spanish noun demarcación (from demarcar, "to delimit") was used in 1493 to name a meridian dividing New World territory between Spain and Portugal. (A Spanish-born pope chose a meridian that favored Spain greatly.) Centuries later, English speakers began calling this boundary the "line of demarcation," and eventually applied that phrase to other dividing lines as well. By the early 19th century, demarcation had been verbified to create demarcate.

Synonyms

• bound
  
• circumscribe
  
• define
  
• delimit
  
• demark
  
• limit
  
• mark (off)
  
• terminate
  

Examples of demarcate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In October, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a U.S.-brokered deal demarcating their maritime borders, hailed by diplomats as a historic breakthrough. —
Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2023 These critical principles demarcate the path to success and provide the necessary coordinates to navigate this vibrant digital expanse. — Maria Williams, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2023 In the 15th century, farmers on the North Atlantic isle began to mold the severe ecosystem of its coastal plains, building thousands of small, soil-free vineyards and demarcating their boundaries with the black stones of its fiery past. —
Shoshi Parks, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Aug. 2023 See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'demarcate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology
back-formation from demarcation, from Spanish demarcación, from demarcar to delimit, from de- + marcar to mark, probably from Italian marcare, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German marha boundary — more at mark
First Known Use
1816, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of demarcate was in 1816