demarcate

verb

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

demarcated; demarcating

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

The street also features silver-gray granite and bespoke brass studs that demarcate reconfigured parking and loading bays. —Samantha Conti, WWD, 13 Feb. 2025

In two other works on view at the Menil, Overstreet revisits those cubes, this time painting them in black, red, and green—the colors of the Pan-African flag, an explicitly political note that demarcates this work from the sculptures of Richard Serra, Tony Smith, and the like. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 4 Feb. 2025

Ukraine's borders would need to be clearly demarcated to ensure clarity on where NATO's mutual defense commitments would apply. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024

By telling us to be wary of too much democracy, and demarcating a range of different economic problems that must be protected from its influence, these policy practices effectively create and reproduce little pockets of exceptionalism on an everyday basis. —Jacqueline Best, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2017

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

Rhymes for demarcate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

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Kids Definition

demarcate

verb

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

demarcated; demarcating

1

: to mark the limits or boundaries of

2

: to set apart : distinguish sense 4

demarcation

ˌdē-ˌmär-ˈkā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

demarcate

transitive verb

de·​mar·​cate di-ˈmär-ˌkāt  ˈdē-ˌ 

demarcated; demarcating

1

: to mark or determine the limits of

2

: to set apart clearly or distinctly as if by definite limits or boundaries

demarcation noun

also demarkation

ˌdē-ˌmär-ˈkā-shən