Appeal

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /əˈpɪəl/

Alternative forms

• appeale obsolete
• appeall obsolete
• appel 15th - 16th centuries

Origin

From Old French apeler, from Latin appellō.

Full definition of appeal

Verb

1. (transitive, obsolete) To accuse (someone of something).
• 1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Book VII:And there opynly Sir Mador appeled the quene of the deth of hys cousyn Sir Patryse.
• 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, V.9:He gan that Ladie strongly to appele
  Of many haynous crymes by her enured ...
2. (transitive, legal, chiefly US) To apply for the removal of a cause from an inferior to a superior judge or court for the purpose of reexamination of for decision.
• Bible, Acts xxv. 11I appeal unto Caesar.
3. (transitive) 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.
• Samuel Horsley (1733-1806)I appeal to the Scriptures in the original.
• Thomas Macaulay (1800-1859)They appealed to the sword.
4. (intransitive) To be attractive.
   That idea appeals to me.
• 1898, Winston Churchill, The Celebrity Chapter 8, The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered her love for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained.
5. (intransitive, cricket) To ask an umpire for a decision on whether a batsman is out or not, usually by saying "How's that" or "Howzat".
6. To summon; to challenge.
• Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)Man to man will I appeal the Norman to the lists.
7. To invoke.

Derived terms

• appeal to

Noun

1. (legal) (a) An application for the removal of a cause or suit from an inferior to a superior judge or court for re-examination or review. (b) The mode of proceeding by which such removal is effected. (c) The right of appeal. (d) An accusation; 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 offense against the public. (e) An accusation of a felon at common law by one of his accomplices, which accomplice was then called an approver.
2. A summons to answer to a charge.
3. A call upon a person or an authority for proof or decision, in one's favor; reference to another as witness; a call for help or a favor; entreaty.
• Francis Bacona kind of appeal to the Deity, the author of wonders
1. (cricket) The act, by the fielding side, of asking an umpire for a decision on whether a batsman is out or not.
4. Resort to physical means; recourse.
5. The power to attract or interest.

Derived terms