'appellate' originates from Latin, specifically the past participle form 'appellatus' of the verb 'appellare', where 'ad-' meant 'to, toward' and the root related to 'call' or 'address'.

'appellate' came into legal English via Medieval Latin 'appellatus' (from 'appellare') and through Old French 'appeler'/'apeler' (to call), later developing in English usage as the adjective and noun relating to appeals and appellate courts.

Initially related to being 'called upon' or 'addressed,' the term's meaning narrowed in legal contexts to refer specifically to matters of appeal and courts that hear appeals.