appeal
/əˈpiːl/ noun, verb
Forms appeals appealing appealed appeale appeall
- noun An application to a superior court or judge for a decision or order by an inferior court or judge to be reviewed and overturned.
- noun The legal document or form by which such an application is made; also, the court case in which the application is argued.
- noun A person's legal right to apply to court for such a review. “I have an appeal against the lower court decision.”
- noun (historical) An accusation or charge against someone for wrongdoing (especially treason).
- noun (historical) A process which formerly might be instituted by one private person against another for some heinous crime demanding punishment for the particular injury suffered, rather than for the offence against the public; an accusation.
- noun (historical) At common law, an accusation made against a felon by one of their accomplices (called an approver).
- noun A call to a person or an authority for a decision, help, or proof; an entreaty, an invocation. “He made an appeal for volunteers to help at the festival.”
- noun (cricket) The act, by the fielding side, of asking an umpire for a decision on whether a batsman is out or not.
- verb (intransitive) Often followed by against (the inferior court's decision) or to (the superior court): to apply to a superior court or judge for a decision or order by an inferior court or judge to be reviewed and overturned. “Dissatisfied with the judge’s ruling, she decided to appeal.”
- verb (transitive, originally US) To apply to a superior court or judge to review and overturn (a decision or order by an inferior court or judge). “The plaintiff appealed the decision to the appellate court.”
- verb (transitive, historical) To accuse or charge (someone) with wrongdoing (especially treason).
- verb (transitive, historical) Of a private person: to instituted legal proceedings (against another private person) for some heinous crime, demanding punishment for the particular injury suffered.
- verb (transitive, historical) Of the accomplice of a felon: to make an accusation at common law against (the felon).
- verb (intransitive) To call upon a person or an authority to corroborate a statement, to decide a controverted question, or to vindicate one's rights; to entreat, to invoke.
- verb (intransitive, cricket) Of a fielding side; to ask an umpire for a decision on whether a batsman is out or not, usually by saying "How's that?" or "Howzat?".
- verb (intransitive) To call upon someone for a favour, help, etc. “I appeal to all of you to help the orphans.”
Synonyms
cri de coeur adjure entreaty prayer appealingness charm solicitation collection ingathering invoke attract
Etymology
From Middle English apel, appel (“formal accusation brought in court; a challenge to trial by combat; an appeal to a higher court or authority; plea (for mercy, protection, etc.); pealing (of bells)”) [and other forms], from Old French apel (“a call”) (modern French appel (“a call; an appeal”)), from apeler (“to call; to call out”), from Latin appellāre (“to address as, call by name; to drive, move to; to land or put ashore”), alternative form adpellāre, from ad- (prefix meaning ‘to; towards’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd (“at; to”)) + pellere (“to drive, impel, push; to hurl, propel; to banish, expel; to eject, thrust out”) + -āre, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- (“to approach”), from *pel- (“to beat; to drive; to push”). Doublet of appel.
From Middle English apelen, appelen (“to accuse; to make a formal charge before a court, etc., impeach; to challenge to trial by combat; to apply to a higher court or authority for review of a decision; to call upon for a decision, favour, help, etc.; to call by a name”) [and other forms], from Old French apeler (“to call; to call out”); see further at etymology 1.
Webster’s 1913
- verb (a) To make application for the removal of (a cause) from an inferior to a superior judge or court for a rehearing or review on account of alleged injustice or illegality in the trial below. We say, the cause was appealed from an inferior court.
- verb To summon; to challenge. [Archaic]
- verb To apply for the removal of a cause from an inferior to a superior judge or court for the purpose of reëxamination of for decision. Tomlins.
- verb To call upon another to decide a question controverted, to corroborate a statement, to vindicate one's rights, etc.; as, I appeal to all mankind for the truth of what is alleged. Hence: To call on one for aid; to make earnest request.
Etymology [OE. appelen, apelen, to appeal, accuse, OF. appeler, fr. L. appellare to approach, address, invoke, summon, call, name; akin to appellere to drive to; ad + pellere to drive. See Pulse, and cf. Peal.]
Etymology [OE. appel, apel, OF. apel, F. appel, fr. appeler. See Appeal, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “appeal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details