Meanings
present singular third person demarcates · participle present demarcating · participle past demarcated · past demarcated
- To mark the limits or boundaries of something; to delimit.
But these words didn't follow the precepts of the metric system, the official standard for demarcating the universe into manageable, studyable chunks.
2023 January 10, Adam Rogers, “Move over, megatons”, in Business Insider, archived from the original on 19 Apr 20231 more example
Small Committees of officials are frequently appointed in advance to consider the geographical, topographical, and ethnological evidence that is forthcoming, and to construct a tentative line for their respective Governments; this, after much debate, is embodied in a treaty, which provides for the appointment of Commissioners to demarcate the line upon the spot and submit it for ratification by the principals.
1907, George Curzon, Frontiers - To mark the difference between two causes of action; to distinguish.
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
verbset, mark, or draw the boundaries of something
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Back-formation from demarcation.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian разграничавам
- разграничавам (razgraničavam)mark the limits or boundaries of something
Catalan demarcar, delimitar
- demarcarmark the limits or boundaries of something
- delimitarmark the limits or boundaries of something
Czech vymezit, ohraničit
- vymezitmark the limits or boundaries of something
- ohraničitmark the limits or boundaries of something
- vytyčit hranicimark the limits or boundaries of something
Dutch afbakenen
- afbakenenmark the limits or boundaries of something
Finnish rajata
- rajatamark the limits or boundaries of something
French délimiter
- délimitermark the limits or boundaries of something
German abgrenzen
- abgrenzenmark the limits or boundaries of something
Greek οροθετώ, διαχωρίζω
- οροθετώ (orothetó)mark the limits or boundaries of something
- διαχωρίζω (diachorízo)mark the limits or boundaries of something
Icelandic afmarka
- afmarkamark the limits or boundaries of something
Italian demarcare
- demarcaremark the limits or boundaries of something
Polish rozgraniczać, rozgraniczyć
- rozgraniczaćmark the limits or boundaries of something
- rozgraniczyćmark the limits or boundaries of something
Portuguese demarcar, delimitar
- demarcarmark the limits or boundaries of something
- delimitarmark the limits or boundaries of something
Romanian demarca
- demarcamark the limits or boundaries of something
Russian разграни́чивать, разграни́чить
- разграни́чивать (razgraníčivatʹ)mark the limits or boundaries of something
- разграни́чить (razgraníčitʹ)mark the limits or boundaries of something
Slovak ohraničiť, demarkovať
- ohraničiťmark the limits or boundaries of something
- demarkovaťmark the limits or boundaries of something
- vytýčiť hranicemark the limits or boundaries of something
- vyznačiťmark the limits or boundaries of something
Swedish avgränsa
- avgränsamark the limits or boundaries of something
Cite this entry
demarcate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demarcate
“demarcate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demarcate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “demarcate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/demarcate.
Source: demarcate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.