Skip to main content
appellant

appellant

9 9.4
A person who asks a higher court to change a lower court's decision
  • noun
  • /əˈpɛlənt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : apelante
  • After the uncle's death, this suit was brought by the plaintiff and the present appellant, Louisa Hammer.
  • appellant's brief

Examples

  • GUNTHER: Counsel for the appellant, you may proceed.

  • When appealed to the appellate court, this decision was upheld in a case in which the appellant failed to appear.

    Academic text (1998)
  • All of these elements considered, the Act imposed no punishment on the appellant.

    Academic text (2000)
  • But the purpose of those costs would have been to raise a child genetically related to the appellant and her husband.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Counsel for the appellant, Mr. Ginsburg, you may proceed.

  • The appellant, a Singaporean-Chinese woman, and her husband, a German man of Caucasian descent, wanted to start a family.

    Academic text (2018)
  • The appellant also proceeded against the second respondent, the company that operated the fertility clinic, for breach of contract.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Applying that test, had the respondents not been negligent, the appellant would have incurred upkeep costs in any event.

    Academic text (2018)
  • The aforementioned motion now admits that American Export Lines, Inc., the defendant-appellant, is not the proper party to be sued in this action.

    Academic text (2017)
  • In a landmark decision, the judge ruled in favor of the appellant seeking justice from the higher court.

Synonyms

plaintiff in error
vsappellant
  • Archaic
9.9

A person or side who asks a higher court to change a lower court's decision

applies to any party appealing to a higher court for reversal

Antonyms

appellee
  • Formal
1 9.9

A person or group who defends a lower court decision in a higher court

Surface Forms

appellant singular
appellants plural

Morphology

appellant = appeal (transparent) = appeal + ant

Agentive formation 'appeal' + '-ant' directly yields 'one who appeals', a meaning accessible to learners who know 'appeal'.

Etymology

The word appellant comes from the Latin appellare, 'to call' or 'to ask', and shares its root with the common word appeal. So an appellant is someone who 'asks' a higher court to change a lower court's decision.