To Appeal Is to Call Out
An appeal asks for something urgently, or asks a higher court to look again. Both senses come from calling.
An appeal is an earnest request, or a request to a higher court to review a decision. Both come from the Latin *appellare*, to call upon or address. The third sense, attractiveness, arrived only in the nineteenth century: something appeals to you because it calls to you.
- An urgent request. *A charity appeal.*
- A request for legal review. *Lodge an appeal.*
- Attractiveness. *Wide appeal.*
- To be attractive. *It appeals to me.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | appeal | A public appeal. |
| Verb | appeal | Appeal the ruling. |
| Past | appealed | She appealed. |
| Adjective | appealing | An appealing offer. |
| Person | appellant | The appellant argued. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The charity launched an appeal.Fundraising.
- He appealed against the sentence.British construction: appeal against.
- He appealed the sentence.American construction: no preposition.
Words from *appellare*
- Appellation — a name or title, and a wine region
- Appellate — relating to appeals, as in appellate court
- Repeal — to call back a law
- Peal — of bells, from the same family
- Appellant — the party making an appeal
From Old French *apeler*, from Latin *appellare*, to address or call upon, from *ad*, to, and *pellere*, to drive.
Appeal against or appeal?
British English usually says appeal against a decision. American English drops the preposition and appeals the decision.
What is an appellation?
A name or title. In wine it means a protected region of origin, such as an appellation in Burgundy.