designate
v.v. to officially choose someone or something for a specific job or purpose. You use this when you want to name a person for a role or mark a place for a special use.
v. to officially assign a specific status, name, or function to someone or something. Often used in administrative or legal contexts to indicate formal selection or classification.
The city will designate this building as a historic landmark.
The manager needs to designate a team leader to handle the project while she is away on vacation.
The government plans to designate the coastal region as a protected marine sanctuary to prevent further industrial development and preserve local biodiversity.
Borrowed from Latin dēsignātus, perfect passive participle of designō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of design.
The verb is transitive and often follows the pattern 'designate something as' or 'designate someone to do something'.