appellation

A1P3P3E1L1L1A1T1I1O1N1
US/ˌæpəˈleɪʃən/

noun

A name or title by which someone is addressed or identified; a designation.

Less commonScrabble 15

Meanings

nounappellation (plural appellations)

plural appellations

  1. datedformalA name or title by which someone is addressed or identified; a designation.

    Russian River flows through a country of hill ridges, which in many places are dignifiable with the appellation of mountains.

    1925, Alfred Louis Kroeber, Handbook of the Indians of California, page 225
    3 more examples

    "I'll not," retorted "Teeter" Nelson, whose first name was Harry, but who had gained his appellation because of a habit he had of "teetering" on his tiptoes when reciting in class. "I've got Peaches all right," and there was a struggle between the two lads, one trying to throw a snowball, and the other trying to prevent him.

    1912, Stratemeyer Syndicate, chapter 1, in Baseball Joe on the School Nine

    Gentlemen of the jury, what is a father, a real father, what does this great word mean, what terribly great idea is contained in this appellation?

    1990, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, transl., The Brothers Karamazov, North Point Press, →ISBN, page 742

    The first, and (spoiler alert) last, voyage of the Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron is about as close a candidate to the appellation "voyage of the damned" as you're ever likely to get. But quite how did this floating disaster, which literally drove some of the men involved insane, and would ultimately find its end at the Battle of Tsushima, actually come about?

    2019 March 13, Drachinifel, 1:11 from the start, in The Russian 2nd Pacific Squadron - Voyage of the Damned, archived from the original on 20 Dec 2022
  2. A geographical indication for wine that describes its geographic origin.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounidentifying word or words by which someone or something is called and classified or distinguished from others

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinappellātiō“a naming”
  2. Old Frenchapellatiun
  3. Middle Englishappellacion
  4. Englishappellation

From late Middle English appellacion, from Old French apellatiun, from Latin appellātiō (“a naming”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch benaming, aanduiding
  • benamingname; designation
  • aanduidingname; designation
Finnish kutsumanimi, liikanimi
  • kutsumaniminame; designation
  • liikaniminame; designation
  • nimitysname; designation
  • alkuperäluokitusindication for wine that describes its geographic origin
French appellation d’origine contrôlée
  • appellation d’origine contrôléeindication for wine that describes its geographic origin
German Benennung, Bezeichnung
  • Benennungname; designation
  • Bezeichnungname; designation
  • Herkunftsbezeichnungindication for wine that describes its geographic origin
Italian appellazione, appellativo
  • appellazionename; designation
  • appellativoname; designation
Japanese 呼称
  • 呼称 (koshou)name; designation
Polish apelacja
  • apelacjaindication for wine that describes its geographic origin
Portuguese apelação, denominação de origem
  • apelaçãoname; designation
  • denominação de origemindication for wine that describes its geographic origin
Russian назва́ние
  • назва́ние (nazvánije)name; designation

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with appellation

All rhymes →

Sounds the same

Cite this entry
APA

appellation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/appellation

MLA

“appellation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/appellation. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “appellation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/appellation.

Source: appellation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.