LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
verbfirst conjugation

dēsignō

dēsignō (present infinitive dēsignāre, perfect active dēsignāvī, supine dēsignātum)
Classical[deːˈsɪŋ.noː]Ecclesiastical[deˈs̬iɲ.ɲo]

Meaning

  1. to mark
  2. to trace out
  3. to outline, describe
  4. to indicate, denote
  5. to earmark, choose
  6. to appoint, elect
  7. to designate
  8. to order, plan

Conjugation conjugation 1

active indicative
formpresentimperfectfutureperfectpluperfectfut. perfect
1st sg.dēsignōdēsignābamdēsignābōdēsignāvīdēsignāveramdēsignāverō
dēsignārō
2nd sg.dēsignāsdēsignābāsdēsignābisdēsignāvistī
dēsignāstī		dēsignāverās
dēsignārās		dēsignāveris
3rd sg.dēsignatdēsignābatdēsignābitdēsignāvitdēsignāverat
dēsignārat		dēsignāverit
dēsignārit
1st pl.dēsignāmusdēsignābāmusdēsignābimusdēsignāvimusdēsignāverāmusdēsignāverimus
dēsignārimus
2nd pl.dēsignātisdēsignābātisdēsignābitisdēsignāvistis
dēsignāstis		dēsignāverātis
dēsignārātis		dēsignāveritis
dēsignāritis
3rd pl.dēsignantdēsignābantdēsignābuntdēsignāvērunt
dēsignāvēre, dēsignārunt		dēsignāverant
dēsignārant		dēsignāverint
dēsignārint
active subjunctive
active subjunctive
formpresentimperfectperfectpluperfect
1st sg.dēsignemdēsignāremdēsignāverim
dēsignārim		dēsignāvissem
dēsignāssem
2nd sg.dēsignēsdēsignārēsdēsignāverīsdēsignāvissēs
dēsignāssēs
3rd sg.dēsignetdēsignāretdēsignāverit
dēsignārit		dēsignāvisset
dēsignāsset
1st pl.dēsignēmusdēsignārēmusdēsignāverīmus
dēsignārīmus		dēsignāvissēmus
dēsignāssēmus
2nd pl.dēsignētisdēsignārētisdēsignāverītis
dēsignārītis		dēsignāvissētis
dēsignāssētis
3rd pl.dēsignentdēsignārentdēsignāverint
dēsignārint		dēsignāvissent
dēsignāssent
passive indicative
passive indicative
formpresentimperfectfuture
1st sg.dēsignordēsignābardēsignābor
2nd sg.dēsignāris
dēsignāre		dēsignābāris
dēsignābāre		dēsignāberis
dēsignābere
3rd sg.dēsignāturdēsignābāturdēsignābitur
1st pl.dēsignāmurdēsignābāmurdēsignābimur
2nd pl.dēsignāminīdēsignābāminīdēsignābiminī
3rd pl.dēsignanturdēsignābanturdēsignābuntur
passive subjunctive
passive subjunctive
formpresentimperfect
1st sg.dēsignerdēsignārer
2nd sg.dēsignēris
dēsignēre		dēsignārēris
dēsignārēre
3rd sg.dēsignēturdēsignārētur
1st pl.dēsignēmurdēsignārēmur
2nd pl.dēsignēminīdēsignārēminī
3rd pl.dēsignenturdēsignārentur
imperative
imperative
formactivepassive
pres. 2nd sg.dēsignādēsignāre
pres. 2nd pl.dēsignātedēsignāminī
fut. 2nd sg.dēsignātōdēsignātor
fut. 3rd sg.dēsignātōdēsignātor
fut. 2nd pl.dēsignātōte—
fut. 3rd pl.dēsignantōdēsignantor
infinitives & participles
infinitives & participles
formactivepassive
present infinitivedēsignāredēsignārī
perfect infinitivedēsignāvisse
dēsignāsse		dēsignātum esse
future infinitivedēsignātūrum essedēsignātum īrī
present participledēsignāns—
perfect participle—dēsignātus
dēsignāta, dēsignātā, dēsignātae, dēsignātam, dēsignātārum, dēsignātās, dēsignātī, dēsignātōrum, dēsignātōs
future participledēsignātūrus
dēsignātūra, dēsignātūrā, dēsignātūrae, dēsignātūram, dēsignātūrārum, dēsignātūrās, dēsignātūre, dēsignātūrī, dēsignātūrīs, dēsignātūrō, dēsignātūrōrum, dēsignātūrōs, dēsignātūrum		dēsignandus
dēsignanda, dēsignandā, dēsignandae, dēsignandam, dēsignandārum, dēsignandās, dēsignande, dēsignandīs, dēsignandōrum, dēsignandōs
gerunddēsignandī, dēsignandō, dēsignandumsupinedēsignātum, dēsignātū

dē-signo or dissigno (the latter form preferred by Brambach in sense II. B. 2. infra; so Keller, ad Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 16; cf. Roby, L. G. 2, p. 384), āvi, ātum, 1,
I. v. a., to mark out, trace out (freq. in the Aug. per.); to describe, designate, define (for syn. cf.: nomino, appello; voco, dico; facio, coöpto, evoco, prodo, declaro, renuntio, seligo).
I. Lit.: Aeneas urbem designat aratro, Verg. A. 5, 755; cf.: moenia fossā, id. ib. 7, 157: moenia sulco, Ov. F. 4, 825; and: oppidum sulco, Tac. A. 12, 24.— With dat.: finis templo Jovis, Liv. 1, 10; cf.: locum circo, id. 1, 35:—vulnere frontem, to mark, Stat. Th. 6, 782; cf.: nubila ingenti gyro, id. ib. 1, 311.—*
B. Transf., to delineate, design, depict, represent, sc. by embroidering, weaving, etc.: Europen, Ov. M. 6, 103.—Far more freq.,
II. Trop.
A. In gen., to point out, mark, denote by speech; to designate, describe, represent: haec ab hominibus callidis animadversa ac notata, verbis designata, Cic. de Or. 1, 23, 109; cf.: affectus velut primis lineis designare, Quint. 4, 2, 120; and: aliquem aliqua oratione, Caes. B. G. 1, 18: notat et designat oculis ad caedem unumquemque nostrum, Cic. Cat. 1, 1, 2; cf.: aliquem digito, Ov. Am. 3, 1, 19; 3, 6, 77: decumam ex praeda, Liv. 5, 25: aliquem nota ignaviae, id. 24, 16: turpitudinem aliquam, Cic. de Or. 2, 58, 236: quem (mundum) alio loco ipse designarit deum, id. N. D. 1, 13, 33: multa, quae nimiam luxuriam et victoriae fiduciam designarent, Caes. B. C. 3, 96.—
B. In partic.
1. In a bad sense, to contrive, devise, perpetrate (syn.: exsequi, patrare, perpetrare—very rare): quae designata sint et facta nequitia, Plaut. Most. 2, 1, 66; cf.: Illa, quae antehac facta sunt, Omitto; modo quid designavit! Ter. Ad. 1, 2, 7 Donat.—In a good sense: quid non ebrietas designat, effect, do, accomplish, Hor. Ep. 1, 5, 16 Orell.—
2. With access. idea of arrangement, to dispose, regulate, arrange, appoint, ordain, nominate, elect, choose: constituere et designare aliquid, Cic. Div. 1, 38, 82: Anaxagoras primus omnium rerum descriptionem et modum mentis infinitae vi ac ratione designari et confici voluit, to be designed and executed, id. N. D. 1, 11; cf. id. ib. 3, 35.—Esp., to appoint to a public office: aliquem praetorem, Suet. Cal. 18: Mamertinum Consulem, Amm. 21, 12, 25: ut ii decemviratum habeant, quos plebs designaverit: oblitus est, nullos ab plebe designari, Cic. Agr. 2, 10 fin.: Catilina in proximum annum consulatum petebat, sperans si designatus foret, etc., Sall. C. 26.—Hence,
b. Polit. t. t.: dēsig-nātus, elect; applied to a person elected to an office, but who has not yet entered upon it: consul, Cic. Fam. 11, 6; Vell. 2, 58, and the superscriptions of letters in Cic. Fam. 11, 4-8: tribunus plebis, id. Agr. 2, 5, 11; id. Att. 3, 13; Sall. J. 27, 2: quaestor, Vell. 2, 111, 3 et saep.—Also, said of the office itself: Pompeio consulatus designatus est, Gell. 14, 7, 1.—
(b). Transf., expected; of a child not yet born: designatus civis, Cic. Clu. 11, 32.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*de
  2. Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
  3. Proto-Italic*dē
  4. Latindēsignō

Latin dē- Proto-Indo-European *sek-? Proto-Indo-European *-nóm Proto-Italic *segnom Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Proto-Italic *segnāō Latin signō Latin dēsignō From dē- + signō (“mark”).

Descendants
  • Catalandesignar
  • Englishdesignate
  • Englishdesign
  • Frenchdésigner
  • Frenchdessiner
  • Italiandesignare
  • Italiandisegnare
  • Catalandissenyarfrom Italian disegnare
  • Portuguesedesenhar
  • Portuguesedesignar

Quick answers

What does dēsignō mean in Latin?
dēsignō, a verb, means “to mark; to trace out; to outline, describe”.
What are the principal parts of dēsignō?
dēsignō, dēsignāre, dēsignāvī, dēsignātum (first conjugation).
How do you pronounce dēsignō?
In classical Latin, [deːˈsɪŋ.noː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [deˈs̬iɲ.ɲo].
Where does dēsignō come from?
Proto-Indo-European *de → Proto-Indo-European *déh₁ → Proto-Italic *dē → Latin dēsignō.