nominal

[nom-uh-nl] /ˈnɒm ə nl/
adjective
1.
being such in name only; so-called; putative:
a nominal treaty; the nominal head of the country.
2.
(of a price, consideration, etc.) named as a mere matter of form, being trifling in comparison with the actual value; minimal.
3.
of, pertaining to, or constituting a name or names.
4.
Grammar.
  1. of, pertaining to, or producing a noun or nouns:
    a nominal suffix.
  2. functioning as or like a noun.
5.
assigned to a person by name:
nominal shares of stock.
6.
containing, bearing, or giving a name or names.
7.
(of money, income, or the like) measured in an amount rather than in real value:
Nominal wages have risen 50 percent, but real wages are down because of inflation.
8.
Aerospace. performing or achieved within expected, acceptable limits; normal and satisfactory:
The mission was nominal throughout.
9.
Slang. done smoothly as expected:
The space shot was nominal, proceeding without a hitch.
noun
10.
Grammar. a word or group of words functioning as a noun.
Origin
1425-75; late Middle English nominalle of a noun < Latin nōminālis of, belonging to a name, nominal, equivalent to nōmin- (stem of nōmen; see nomen) + -ālis -al1
Related forms
prenominal, adjective
unnominal, adjective
unnominally, adverb
Synonyms
1. titular, formal.
Examples from the web for nominal
  • If you do the math with the phyisics, that doesnt account for much and is extremely nominal.
  • To this journal he became a contributor, and later was for a time its nominal editor.
  • Wheat prices are hitting nominal records.
  • Most are free, but some apps cost a nominal amount.
  • Some libraries require a nominal fee.
  • No wonder the price of gasoline has been rising, both in nominal and real terms.
  • They're furthering this idea of nominal use.
  • So one possible route is nominal deflation.
  • Humans are natural pack rats, and given the chance we'll stockpile anything of nominal value.
  • The trainees operate all facilities with only a nominal supervisory role by the instructors and a small number of permanent staff.
British Dictionary definitions for nominal

nominal

/ˈnɒmɪnəl/
adjective
1.
in name only; theoretical: the nominal leader
2.
minimal in comparison with real worth or what is expected; token: a nominal fee
3.
of, relating to, constituting, bearing, or giving a name
4.
(grammar) of or relating to a noun or noun phrase
noun
5.
(grammar) a nominal element; a noun, noun phrase, or syntactically similar structure
6.
(bell-ringing) the harmonic an octave above the strike tone of a bell
Derived Forms
nominally, adverb
Word Origin
C15: from Latin nōminālis of a name, from nōmen name
Word Origin and History for nominal
adj.

early 15c., "pertaining to nouns," from Latin nominalis "pertaining to a name or names," from nomen (genitive nominis) "name," cognate with Old English nama (see name (n.)). Meaning "of the nature of names" (in distinction to things) is from 1610s. Meaning "being so in name only" first recorded 1620s.