appellate

adjective

ap·​pel·​late ə-ˈpe-lət 

: of, relating to, or recognizing appeals

specifically : having the power to review the judgment of another tribunal

an appellate court

Examples of appellate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pattis appealed and won a partial victory at the state appellate court. —Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2025

The appellate court ruling kicks the case back to the trial court. —David K. Li, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025

Last August, the Maryland Supreme Court upheld a lower appellate court’s decision to reinstate Syed’s conviction, ruling the rights of Lee’s family were violated because her official representative, her brother Young Lee, was not properly notified of the 2022 hearing to vacate the conviction. —Lauren Del Valle, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025

Chauvin attempted to appeal his state conviction, citing how highly-publicized the case was and pressure on the jury, but Minnesota’s appellate court upheld the conviction. —Chad De Guzman, TIME, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin appellātus, past participle of appellāre "to appeal against a judgment," going back to Latin, "to speak to, address, apply to for support, refer to a higher authority" — more at appeal entry 2

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for appellate

• chelate
• pellet
• prelate
• zealot

Kids Definition

appellate

adjective

ap·​pel·​late ə-ˈpel-ət 

: having the power to review the decisions of a lower court

an appellate court

Legal Definition

appellate

adjective

ap·​pel·​late ə-ˈpe-lət 

: of or relating to appeals or the power to hear appeals

the appellate process

an appellate court