appellation

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noun ap·pel·la·tion \ ˌa-pə-ˈlā-shən \

Definition of appellation

1 :an identifying name or title :designation

was entitled to the appellation "doctor"

2 :a geographical name (as of a region, village, or vineyard) under which a winegrower is authorized to identify and market wine; also :the area designated by such a name

3 archaic :the act of calling by a name

See appellation defined for English-language learners

See appellation defined for kids

appellation was our Word of the Day on 09/03/2008. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of appellation from the Web

The Jacksonville, Fla. band settled on their now-iconic appellation as 1969 turned to 1970, inspired by longhair-hassling local high school P.E. teacher Leonard Skinner.

— matt wake | mwake@al.com, AL.com, "Southern musical acts who almost went by different names," 21 June 2017
The more precise the appellation, the more prestigious and expensive the wine.

— michael dunne, sacbee.com, "Anderson Valley winemakers take a ‘Dalmatian dog’ approach to their pinot noirs," 20 June 2017
Finally, a couple of California appellation rosés that hit all the right notes.

— dave eckert, kansascity.com, "The rise of rosé has more people in Kansas City thinking and drinking pink," 19 June 2017
Former San Diego Union sports columnist Jack Murphy advocated for the San Diego Stadium appellation, although his own name was added later in honor of his efforts to bring the Los Angeles Chargers and major league baseball to San Diego.

— tom krasovic, sandiegouniontribune.com, ""Qualcomm" Stadium no longer exists," 16 June 2017
The state would also create standards for official marijuana varietals and growing regions, known as appellations, so craft producers can distinguish their products based on the unique strain and growing conditions like winemakers do.

— jonathan j. cooper, The Cannabist, "California’s new cannabis rules create path to organic grows, delivery, regional naming and more," 15 June 2017
The state would also create standards for official marijuana varietals and growing regions, known as appellations, so craft producers can distinguish their products based on the unique strain and growing conditions like winemakers do.

— jonathan j. cooper, The Cannabist, "California’s new cannabis rules create path to organic grows, delivery, regional naming and more," 15 June 2017
The state would also create standards for official marijuana varietals and growing regions, known as appellations, so craft producers can distinguish their products based on the unique strain and growing conditions like winemakers do.

— jonathan j. cooper, The Cannabist, "California’s new cannabis rules create path to organic grows, delivery, regional naming and more," 15 June 2017
The state would also create standards for official marijuana varietals and growing regions, known as appellations, so craft producers can distinguish their products based on the unique strain and growing conditions like winemakers do.

— jonathan j. cooper, The Seattle Times, "California firms up marijuana rules, will allow deliveries," 14 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appellation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Ask a Frenchman named "Jacques" his name, and you may very well get the reply, "Je m'appelle Jacques." The French verb appeller means "to call (by a name)," so Jacques' answer literally translates to "I call myself Jacques." Knowing the function of "appeller" makes it easy to remember that "appellation" refers to the name or title by which something is called or known. "Appeller" and "appellation" also share a common ancestor - the Latin appellare, meaning "to call or summon," formed by combining the prefix ad- ("to") with another verb, "pellere" ("to drive"). "Appellare" is also the root of our word appeal (by way of Anglo-French and Middle English), as well as "appellate," referring to a kind of court where appeals are heard.