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.—
