by klaus krippendorff, design issues, 1989: »the etymology of design goes back to the latin de + signare and means making something, distinguishing it by a sign, giving it significance, designating its relation to other things, owners, users, or gods.

based on this original meaning, one could say:

design is making sense (to things).«

i am urged to add: design is making sense of processes or behaviours. that means sometimes it is the shape of an object which matters, sometimes it is the procedure, the sequence of tasks that matters most, and sometimes it is how other people react to ones behaviour. all those things (objects, procedures, services) could be »designed«. in that way design means to give sense to life. and it is not only to the designers to define those things, it is to everybody.