demarcation

Definition

The act of marking off a boundary or setting a limit, notably by belligerents signing a treaty or ceasefire.

Etymology

First recorded c.1752, from Spanish línea de demarcación 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 same Germanic root as march.

Example Sentences

• "About sunset, he was leaning on the remains of an old wall, which had once probably surrounded a Roman encampment, and now served as a line of demarcation between two villages, as jealous of each other's claims as near neighbours usually are."
• "There is an alleged, in fact somewhat artificial demarcation in the type of work done by members of different trade unions."
• "In the sea there is no demarcation between the hunter and the hunted, as there is on the African plains."