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Webster 1913 Edition

Demarcation

Deˊmar-ca′tion

,
Noun.
[F.
démarcation
; pref.
dé-
(L.
de
) +
marquer
to mark, of German origin. See
Mark
.]
The act of marking, or of ascertaining and setting a limit; separation; distinction.
The speculative line of
demarcation
, where obedience ought to end and resistance must begin, is faint, obscure, and not easily definable.
Burke.

Definition 2024

demarcation

demarcation

See also: démarcation

English

Alternative forms

Noun

demarcation ‎(plural demarcations)

  1. The act of marking off a boundary or setting a limit, notably by belligerents signing a treaty or ceasefire.
  2. A limit thus fixed, in full demarcation line.
  3. Any strictly defined separation
    There is an alleged, in fact somewhat artificial demarcation in the type of work done by members of different trade unions.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Etymology

First recorded c.1752, from Spanish linea de demarcacion and/or Portuguese linha de demarcação, the demarcation line laid down by the Pope on May 4, 1493, dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal on a line 100 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. Both derive from demarcar, from de- + marcar ‎(“to mark”), from Italian marcare, from the Germanic root of march.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˌdɛmɑːˈkeɪʃən/
  • Rhymes: -eɪʃən

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