appellative

[ uh-pel-uh-tiv ]

/ əˈpɛl ə tɪv /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for appellative on Thesaurus.com

noun

a descriptive name or designation, as Bald in Charles the Bald.

a common noun.

adjective

designative; descriptive.

tending toward or serving for the assigning of names: the appellative function of some primitive rites.

pertaining to a common noun.

QUIZ

GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!

Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of appellative

1375–1425; late Middle English (<Middle French ) <Late Latin appellātīvus.See appellate, -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM appellative

ap·pel·la·tive·ly, adverbap·pel·la·tive·ness, noun

Words nearby appellative

appellant, appellate, appellate division, appellation, appellation contrôlée, appellative, appellee, appellor, 'appen, append, appendage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use appellative in a sentence

In the curious case of Elle Fanning, however, the appellative is entirely deserved.
Elle Fanning on ‘Ginger & Rosa,’ Her Fashion Sense, Crush on Ryan Gosling, and More|Marlow Stern|March 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Hence appellative words bearing any affinity with the names of the deceased are presently abolished.
The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies|Robert Gordon Latham
We shall add, at the end, the appellative names contained in the laws, with their original and explication.
The Life of the Truly Eminent and Learned Hugo Grotius|Jean Lvesque de Burigny
We must remember that nearly all Grecian proper names had some meaning: being compounds or derivatives from appellative nouns.
Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates, 3rd ed. Volume III (of 4)|George Grote

The schoolmaster's surname led him as far into dissertation as his Christian appellative.
Kenilworth|Sir Walter Scott
But to make an application of the latter appellative at this time, would operate as an invitation to be knocked down.
The Olden Time Series, Vol. 6: Literary Curiosities|Henry M. Brooks

British Dictionary definitions for appellative

appellative

/ (əˈpɛlətɪv) /

noun

an identifying name or title; appellation

grammar another word for common noun

adjective

of or relating to a name or title

(of a proper noun) used as a common noun

Derived forms of appellative

appellatively, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

appellative

Origin of appellative

OTHER WORDS FROM appellative

Words nearby appellative

Words related to appellative

How to use appellative in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for appellative

Derived forms of appellative