Earmarked

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Set apart for a particular function or allocation
2. Assigned for a distinct purpose or designated usage
3. Reserved specifically to be used for a predetermined purpose

Etymology: Farmers marked their livestock long before anyone thought of it as a metaphor for money. The earmark was a cut or notch made in an animal's ear, often combined with a tag, so that an owner could prove which beast was his. The noun is simply "ear" joined to "mark," and it was a literal brand of ownership on the animal's body. The verb grew out of that noun, so to earmark something was originally to put such a mark on it. The leap to today's sense, setting money or resources aside for a particular purpose, follows the same logic: a sum is tagged so that it cannot be spent on anything else. Earmarked funds are the financial equivalent of a notched ear, a visible sign that this resource belongs to a specific use.

Synonyms: designated, allocated, assigned

Antonyms: unassigned