Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
APPEAL
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English appel, from Anglo-French apel, from apeler
Date: 13th century
a legal proceeding by which a case is brought before a higher court for review of the decision of a lower court, a criminal accusation,
3. an application (as to a recognized authority) for corroboration, vindication, or decision, an earnest plea ; entreaty , an organized request for donations , the power of arousing a sympathetic response ; attraction ,
II. verb see: felt
Date: 14th century
transitive verb to charge with a crime ; accuse , to take proceedings to have (a lower court's decision) reviewed in a higher court, intransitive verb to take a lower court's decision to a higher court for review, to call upon another for corroboration, vindication, or decision, to make an earnest request , to arouse a sympathetic response , appealability noun appealable adjective appealer noun