appeal
UK[əˈpiːl]US[əˈpiːl]
v
to make a serious, urgent, or heartfelt request.
v
to be attractive or interesting.
n
a serious, urgent, or heartfelt request.
n
the quality of being attractive or interesting.
n
an application to a higher court for a decision to be reversed.
Morpheme Breakdown
ap
peal
ap
to
peal
to drive
Etymology
the word 'appeal' entered english in the late 13th century via old french 'apeler', which itself descended from latin 'appellare', meaning 'to address, call upon, or name'. the latin verb is a compound of the prefix 'ad-' (to) and 'pellere' (to drive, push), creating a literal sense of 'to drive or push oneself toward (someone)'. this core idea of moving towards someone to call upon them evolved logically into the modern meanings of making an earnest request (verbally 'driving' one's plea to another) and, by extension, the power to attract or 'call' interest. the legal sense developed from the notion of calling upon a higher authority for judgment.
Analysis
Structure: ap (to) + peal (to drive)
ap- (a variant of the latin prefix ad- meaning 'to, towards'); peal (from latin pellere, meaning 'to drive, to push').
Examples
the charity launched an appeal to raise funds for the disaster victims.
the idea of a beach vacation has great appeal during a cold winter.
the defense lawyer decided to appeal the court's verdict.