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 administrative office said in announcing the changes that each court – district, bankruptcy and appellate – will make its own operational decisions. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 17 Oct. 2025

The evidence issue went up to the appellate court because prosecutors appealed Murphy’s ruling. —Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2025

In 2020, the Supreme Court — in a roundabout way — ended the confusion by refusing to consider an appellate ruling that validated special taxes proposed by initiative and approved by simple majorities. —Dan Walters, Oc Register, 14 Oct. 2025

That case initially resulted in a half-billion-dollar penalty before a New York appellate court rolled most of it back earlier this year. —Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 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