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

The case is on hold while an appellate court decides whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be removed from overseeing it due to ethical and financial conflicts of interest alleged by defendants. —Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024

The act provides for direct review of EPA’s regulations under that statute in federal appellate court. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024

The jurors contacted by the appellate team served on a second trial that ended with Masterson’s conviction in May 2023. —Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024

The plaintiffs knew that their claims ran head on into baseball’s antitrust exemption and, as expected and in fact requested, lost at the district court and appellate court levels. —Chris Deubert, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024

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

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