pre·designate \(ˈ)prē+\transitive verb Etymology:pre- + designate 1.: to designate beforehand < subjects were … to respond whenever any one of a set of eight predesignated letters appeared — Biological Abstracts > 2.: to specify (the expected character of a sample) in advance of or independently of examination of the sample in order to avoid fallacious inference • pre·designation\(|)prē+\noun