appellative
a descriptive name or designation, as Bald in Charles the Bald.
a common noun.
designative; descriptive.
tending toward or serving for the assigning of names: the appellative function of some primitive rites.
pertaining to a common noun.
Origin of appellative
1Other words from appellative
- ap·pel·la·tive·ly, adverb
- ap·pel·la·tive·ness, noun
Words Nearby appellative
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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 | THE DAILY BEASTHence appellative words bearing any affinity with the names of the deceased are presently abolished.
The Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies | Robert Gordon LathamWe 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 BurignyWe must remember that nearly all Grecian proper names had some meaning: being compounds or derivatives from appellative nouns.
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
/ (əˈpɛlətɪv) /
an identifying name or title; appellation
grammar another word for common noun
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
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