appeal | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

43 entries found.

early 14c., originally in legal sense of "to call" to a higher judge or court, from Anglo-French apeler "to call upon, accuse," Old French apeler "make an appeal" (11c., Modern French appeler), from Latin appellare "to accost, address, appeal to, summon, name," iterative of appellere "to prepare," from ad "to" (see ad-) + pellere "to beat, push, drive" (from PIE root *pel- (5) "to thrust, strike, drive").

Probably a Roman metaphoric extension of a nautical term for "driving a ship toward a particular landing." Popular modern meaning "be attractive or pleasing" is attested from 1907 (appealing in this sense is from 1891), extended from "address oneself in expectation of a sympathetic response" (1794). Related: Appealed.

appeal (n.)

c. 1300, "proceeding taken to reverse a decision by submitting it to the review of a higher authority," from Old French apel "call, appeal in court" (Modern French appel), back-formation from apeler "call upon" (see appeal (v.)). Meaning "call to an authority" is from 1620s; that of "attractive power" attested by 1904.

appellate (adj.)

"pertaining to appeals," 1726, from Latin appellatus, past participle of appellare "appeal to" (see appeal (v.)).

appealing (adj.)

1590s, "suppliant, applying to a higher authority," present-participle adjective from appeal (v.). Sense of "attractive" attested by 1854. Related: Appealingly.

appellee (n.)

"person against whom an appeal is brought," 1530s, from Anglo-French (late 14c.), from Old French apelé (Modern French appelé) "accused, defendant," noun use of past participle of appeler "speak to, call upon, appeal to, address, call by name;" see appeal (v.) + -ee.

appellant (n.)

"one who appeals from a lower to a higher court," 1610s, from Anglo-French, French appellant, noun use of present participle of French appeller "make an appeal" (Old French apeler), from Latin appellare "appeal to" (see appeal (v.)).

appellative (adj.)

early 15c., of a noun, "serving to name or mark out, common (as opposed to proper)," from Latin appellativus, from appellat-, past participle stem of appellare "address, name, appeal to" (see appeal (v.)). As a noun, attested from 1590s, "common name;" 1630s as "title, descriptive name."

repeal (v.)

late 14c., repēlen, "revoke, rescind, annul; withdraw (a privilege, etc.); repudiate (one's behavior)," from Anglo-French repeler (mid-14c.), Old French rapeler "call back, call in, call after, revoke" (Modern French rappeler), from re- "back" (see re-) + apeler "to call" (later appeler; see appeal (v.)). Related: Repealed; repealing; repealable.

peal (n.)

mid-14c., pele, "a ringing of a bell" especially as a call to church service; generally considered a shortened form of appeal (n.), with the notion of a bell that "summons" people to church (compare similar evolution in peach (v.)). Middle English pele also had the sense of "an accusation, an appeal" (15c.), and apele for "a ringing of bells" is attested from mid-15c.

Extended sense of "loud ringing of bells" is first recorded 1510s; subsequently it was transferred to other successions of loud sounds (thunder, cannon, mass shouts or laughter). Meaning "set of bells tuned to one another" is by 1789.

appellation (n.)

"designation, name given to a person, thing, or class," mid-15c., from Old French apelacion "name, denomination" (12c.), from Latin appellationem (nominative appellatio) "an addressing, accosting; an appeal; a name, title," noun of action from past-participle stem of appellare "address, appeal to, name" (see appeal (v.)).

An appellation is a descriptive and therefore specific term, as Saint Louis; John's appellation was the Baptist; George Washington has the appellation of Father of his Country. A title is an official or honorary appellation, as reverend, bishop, doctor, colonel, duke. [Century Dictionary]

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