appointee
UK[əˌpɔɪnˈtiː]US[əˌpɔɪnˈtiː]
n
a person who has been chosen officially for a job or position of responsibility.
n
a person who receives a gift or benefit through a legal document, such as a will.
Morpheme Breakdown
appoint
ee
appoint
ee
Etymology
the word 'appointee' is a relatively modern english formation, built upon the established verb 'appoint'. the verb itself originates from the old french 'apointer', meaning to arrange or settle, which in turn derives from the latin phrase 'ad punctum', literally 'to a point', implying a decisive fixing or designation. the suffix '-ee', borrowed from the anglo-french legal participle ending '-é', systematically indicates the recipient or beneficiary of an action. therefore, an 'appointee' is logically the person to whom a position or duty has been formally and decisively assigned, directly following the grammatical pattern seen in words like 'employee' or 'nominee'.
Analysis
Structure: appoint + ee
appoint (from latin 'ad-' + 'punctum', meaning to fix, settle, or assign a role); ee (from anglo-french '-é', a suffix forming nouns denoting a person who is the object or beneficiary of an action).
Examples
the new appointee will join the board of directors next month.
she was the sole appointee named in her grandfather's will.
the committee interviewed several candidates before selecting the final appointee.