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

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

Recent Examples of appellation from the Web

So far in Rioja, only one major producer, Artadi, has chosen to leave the appellation.

— eric asimov, New York Times, "Rioja Grapples With How to Define Its Best Wines", 25 May 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.