design

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
design/dɪˈzʌɪn/

▶noun

• 1 a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function of something before it is built or made.

  ■ the art or action of planning the look and function of something.

  ■ the arrangement of the features of an artefact.

• 2 a decorative pattern.

• 3 the purpose or planning that exists behind an action or object.

▶verb decide upon the look and functioning of (something), especially by making a detailed drawing of it.

■ do or plan (something) with a specific purpose in mind.

– phrases
by design as a result of a plan; intentionally.
have designs on aim to obtain, especially in an underhand way.

■ informal have an undisclosed sexual interest in.

– origin ME (as a verb in the sense ‘to designate’): from L. designare, reinforced by Fr. désigner.