'indicate' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'indicāre,' where 'in-' meant 'toward' and 'dicāre' meant 'to proclaim.'

'indicāre' transformed into the French word 'indiquer,' and eventually became the modern English word 'indicate' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to proclaim or point out,' and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.