appeal

[uh-peel] /əˈpil/
noun
1.
an earnest request for aid, support, sympathy, mercy, etc.; entreaty; petition; plea.
2.
a request or reference to some person or authority for a decision, corroboration, judgment, etc.
3.
Law.
  1. an application or proceeding for review by a higher tribunal.
  2. (in a legislative body or assembly) a formal question as to the correctness of a ruling by a presiding officer.
  3. Obsolete. a formal charge or accusation.
4.
the power or ability to attract, interest, amuse, or stimulate the mind or emotions:
The game has lost its appeal.
5.
Obsolete. a summons or challenge.
verb (used without object)
6.
to ask for aid, support, mercy, sympathy, or the like; make an earnest entreaty:
The college appealed to its alumni for funds.
7.
Law. to apply for review of a case or particular issue to a higher tribunal.
8.
to have need of or ask for proof, a decision, corroboration, etc.
9.
to be especially attractive, pleasing, interesting, or enjoyable:
The red hat appeals to me.
verb (used with object)
10.
Law.
  1. to apply for review of (a case) to a higher tribunal.
  2. Obsolete. to charge with a crime before a tribunal.
Idioms
11.
appeal to the country, British, country (def 16).
Origin
1250-1300; (v.) Middle English a(p)pelen < Anglo-French, Old French a(p)peler < Latin appellāre to speak to, address, equivalent to ap- ap-1 + -pellāre, iterative stem of pellere to push, beat against; (noun) Middle English ap(p)el < Anglo-French, Old French apel, noun derivative of ap(p)eler
Related forms
appealability, noun
appealable, adjective
appealer, noun
nonappealability, noun
nonappealable, adjective
reappeal, verb
unappealed, adjective
Synonyms
1. prayer, supplication, invocation. 2. suit, solicitation. 4. attraction. 6. request, ask. Appeal, entreat, petition, supplicate mean to ask for something wished for or needed. Appeal and petition may concern groups and formal or public requests. Entreat and supplicate are usually more personal and urgent. To appeal is to ask earnestly for help or support, on grounds of reason, justice, common humanity, etc.: to appeal for contributions to a cause. To petition is to ask by written request, by prayer, or the like, that something be granted: to petition for more playgrounds. Entreat suggests pleading: The captured knight entreated the king not to punish him. To supplicate is to beg humbly, usually from a superior, powerful, or stern (official) person: to supplicate that the lives of prisoners be spared.
Examples from the web for appeal
  • However, interest from contemporary movie stars broadened the appeal of the car beyond that of a racing vehicle.
  • Ordinarily, the prisoner whose appeal is being heard is present in court.
  • This isn't going to appeal to everybody.
  • The Rockies have unique appeal for hikers, climbers, and bikers.
  • Under the civil law, courts of appeal are authorized to make independent findings of fact with respect to sentences.
  • For her and team members, the site has a subtle yet powerful appeal.
  • Despite the appeal, however, even those players have landed only a handful of long-term deals.
  • The fading appeal of the boardroom.
  • She adds that the film also has wide appeal in age and gender.
  • The natural aesthetic appeal continues to be a major draw.
British Dictionary definitions for appeal

appeal

/əˈpiːl/
noun
1.
a request for relief, aid, etc
2.
the power to attract, please, stimulate, or interest: a dress with appeal
3.
an application or resort to another person or authority, esp a higher one, as for a decision or confirmation of a decision
4.
(law)
  1. the judicial review by a superior court of the decision of a lower tribunal
  2. a request for such review
  3. the right to such review
5.
(cricket) a verbal request to the umpire from one or more members of the fielding side to declare a batsman out
6.
(English law) (formerly) a formal charge or accusation: appeal of felony
verb
7.
(intransitive) to make an earnest request for relief, support, etc
8.
(intransitive) to attract, please, stimulate, or interest
9.
(law) to apply to a superior court to review (a case or particular issue decided by a lower tribunal)
10.
(intransitive) to resort (to), as for a decision or confirmation of a decision
11.
(intransitive) (cricket) to ask the umpire to declare a batsman out
12.
(intransitive) to challenge the umpire's or referee's decision
Derived Forms
appealable, adjective
appealer, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Old French appeler, from Latin appellāre to entreat (literally: to approach), from pellere to push, drive
Word Origin and History for appeal
v.

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, drive" (see pulse (n.1)). Related: Appealed; appealing.

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

n.

c.1300, in the legal sense, from Old French apel (Modern French appel), back-formation from apeler (see appeal (v.)). Meaning "call to an authority" is from 1620s; that of "attractive power" attested by 1916.

appeal in the Bible

a reference of any case from an inferior to a superior court. Moses established in the wilderness a series of judicatories such that appeals could be made from a lower to a higher (Ex. 18:13-26.) Under the Roman law the most remarkable case of appeal is that of Paul from the tribunal of Festus at Caesarea to that of the emperor at Rome (Acts 25:11, 12, 21, 25). Paul availed himself of the privilege of a Roman citizen in this matter.