The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Designate \Des"ig*nate\, a. [L. designatus, p. p. of designare.
   See Design, v. t.]
   Designated; appointed; chosen. [R.] --Sir G. Buck.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Designate \Des"ig*nate\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Designated; p.
   pr. & vb. n. Designating.]
   1. To mark out and make known; to point out; to name; to
      indicate; to show; to distinguish by marks or description;
      to specify; as, to designate the boundaries of a country;
      to designate the rioters who are to be arrested.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To call by a distinctive title; to name.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty; -- with to
      or for; as, to designate an officer for or to the command
      of a post or station.

   Syn: To name; denominate; style; entitle; characterize;
        describe.
        [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

designate
    adj 1: appointed but not yet installed in office
    v 1: assign a name or title to [syn: designate, denominate]
    2: give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task
       to (a person) [syn: delegate, designate, depute,
       assign]
    3: indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either
       spatially or figuratively; "I showed the customer the glove
       section"; "He pointed to the empty parking space"; "he
       indicated his opponents" [syn: indicate, point,
       designate, show]
    4: decree or designate beforehand; "She was destined to become a
       great pianist" [syn: destine, fate, doom, designate]
    5: design or destine; "She was intended to become the director"
       [syn: intend, destine, designate, specify]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

82 Moby Thesaurus words for "designate":
   advert to, allocate, allot, allude to, appoint, apportion,
   appropriate, assign, baptize, be taken as, call, choose, christen,
   define, delegate, delineate, denominate, denote, depute, determine,
   dictate, dub, earmark, elect, emblematize, entitle, figure, finger,
   fix, identify, indicate, label, make, mark, mean, mention,
   mete out, name, name for office, nickname, nominate, opt, ordain,
   ordinate, particularize, pick, pick out, pin down, pinpoint,
   point at, point out, point to, propose, put down, put up, refer to,
   represent, reserve, run, run for office, select, set, set forth,
   signify, single, specialize, specify, stand for, state, stigmatize,
   stipulate, style, submit, symbol, symbolize, tab, tag, tap, term,
   title, typify, write down