English → Latin
“delegate” in Latin
legōto collect, gather, bring together, catch; to choose, select; to appointallegōto select, choose, recruit, elect or admit (to or into something)permittōto let go, let loose; to cast, hurl, throw; send away, export; to give leave, give up, allow, suffer, grant, permit, sur
The English word delegate itself goes back to Latin lēgō, through dēlēgātus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
delegate
Send with power to transact business, legare; allegare (to delegate or depute): legatum mittere (to delegate or send as an ambassador, especially in affairs of state): mandata alicui dare (to give him a commission). ☞ It would be wrong to employ amandare and ablegare in this sense (as is frequently done in modern Latin); those words mean “to send anybody away under a pretext, in order to get rid of him “: to delegate anybody to do anything, alicui mandare, ut, etc.; negotium alicui dare, ut, etc.: to be delegated to do anything, jussus sum facere aliquid: to delegate with full power, alicui alicujus rei faciendae licentiam dare or permittere (☞ Cic., Verr., 3, 94, 220; Sall., Jug., 103, 2): liberum alicujus rei arbitrium alicui permittere (Liv. 32, 37): to be delegated by anybody, mandata habere ab aliquo; alicujus nomine, or aliquo auctore facere aliquid (to do anything in consequence of being delegated by anybody).
To deliver or entrust anything to the care of another on whom one confers authority to manage it, etc., mandare alicui aliquid (commission him to do it; e.g., negotium): demandare alicui aliquid (give it up entirely to another, so as to think no more about it one’s self; e.g., funeris curam; helium): delegare alicui aliquid (to shove off upon another what one should do one’s self; e.g., curam alicujus rei alicui; officium alicui).
delegate s.
legatus; cui rerum agendarum licentia data or permissa est (delegate with full powers; ☞ Cic., Verr., 3, 94, 220; Sall., Jug., 103, 2): qui mandata habet ab aliquo (commissioned): *publica auctoritate missus; also merely legatus (a delegate with authority from the slate. ☞ Here ablegatus would be false Latin): delegates come from Sicily, Siculi veniunt cum mandatis.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for delegate?
- The usual Latin words for “delegate” are legō, allegō, permittō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.