indicate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to give evidence of

   These fingerprints indicate that you were the culprit.

2. 2
   verb

   to be a signal for or a symptom of

   These symptoms indicate a serious illness.

3. 3
   verb

   to indicate a place, direction, person, or thing

   The map indicates that the treasure is north of where we are standing.

4. 4
   verb

   to state or express briefly

   The lawyer indicated their wishes in a letter.

5. 5
   verb

   To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.

   The guard blew his whistle to indicate imminent departure.

6. 6
   verb

   To show or manifest by symptoms.

   Great prostration of strength indicates the use of stimulants.

7. 7
   verb

   To point to as the proper remedies.

   It was strange to buy things I used to consider luxuries but were now medically indicated, like air conditioning and well-made shoes.

8. 8
   verb

   To investigate the condition or power of, as of steam engine, by means of an indicator.

   To a person who is familiar with the use of an indicator, whether it be of one make or another, it is needless to give instructions as to how an engine should be indicated,[…].

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin indicātus, perfect passive participle of indicō (“to point out, indicate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from in- (“in, to”) + dicō (“to declare, (originally) to point”). See also diction and index.