Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To cause to have a certain outcome; preordain by fate or fortune.
  • transitive verb To assign for a specific end, use, or purpose.
  • transitive verb To direct toward a given destination.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To set apart, ordain, or appoint to a use, purpose, office, or place.
  • To appoint or predetermine unalterably, as by a divine decree; doom; devote.
  • Synonyms To intend, mark out, consecrate, dedicate, decree, allot.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To determine the future condition or application of; to set apart by design for a future use or purpose; to fix, as by destiny or by an authoritative decree; to doom; to ordain or preordain; to appoint; -- often with the remoter object preceded by to or for.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To preordain
  • verb To assign something (especially finance) for a particular use
  • verb To have a particular destination

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb decree or designate beforehand
  • verb design or destine

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English destinen, from Old French destiner; see destiny.]

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