appoint
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /əˈpɔɪnt/
rhymes: -ɔɪnt
Forms: form: appoints
form: appointing
form: appointed
form: appointed
Etymology: From Middle English apointen, borrowed from Old French apointier (“to prepare, arrange, lean, place”) (French appointer (“to give a salary, refer a cause”)), from Late Latin appunctō (“to bring back to the point, restore, to fix the point in a controversy, or the points in an agreement”); Latin ad + punctum (“a point”). See point.
Senses: examples: text: His Royal Highness called to pay his respects to her Majesty; but, from the unexpected nature of his visit, her Majesty was not in a state then to receive him; but soon after sent a letter to Prince Leopold, to appoint one o'clock this day for an interview.
ref: 1820, The Edinburgh Annual Register:
text: We have to wait until they're ready to receive us, and make sure we turn up at the appointed time.
ref: 2014 November 8, Ivan Hewett, “Art on demand makes emperors of us all”, in The Telegraph:
glosses: To set, fix or determine (a time or place for something such as a meeting, or the meeting itself) by authority or agreement.
examples: text: Aaron and his shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 4:19:
text: Neal Kwatra, appointed by Cuomo to be the state Democratic Party's chief campaign strategist, was identified by two key Democratic insiders[...]
ref: 2014 November 3, Fredric U. Dicker, “Cuomo appointed 'vote or else' strategist”, in New York Post:
synonyms: make
glosses: To name (someone to a post or role).
examples: text: It was a handsome old stucco hall, very elegantly appointed, for Winter was a bachelor and prided himself on his style; but the place was beset by collieries.
ref: 1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter X, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC, page 151:
text: The hotel is beautifully designed and beautifully appointed in a classic, modern style that manages to be both serene and luxurious at the same time.
ref: 2009, Donald Olson, Germany for Dummies:
glosses: To furnish or equip (a place) completely; to provide with all the equipment or furnishings necessary; to fit out.
examples: text: after mature Deliberation, he appointed them a Ship of seventy Tons,
ref: 1747, William Stith, The History of the First Discovery and Settlement of Virginia, page 15:
glosses: To equip (someone) with (something); to assign (someone) authoritatively (some equipment).
examples: text: If the donee of a power appoint the fund to one of the objects of the power, under an understanding that the latter is to lend the fund to tho former, although on good security, the appointment is bad.
ref: 1828–29 (case decided), published in 1843, in the Reports of Cases Decided in the High Court of Chancery
topics: law
glosses: To fix the disposition of (property) by designating someone to take use of (it).
examples: text: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 8:29:
text: Thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 15:15:
glosses: To fix with power or firmness by decree or command; to ordain or establish.
examples: text: For the Lord had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Samuel 17:14:
text: The day being very stormy, we were obliged to keep at home; which I much regretted, as it abridged my opportunity of seeing the Jewish synagogues, as we had appointed to do to-day.
ref: 1823 December 13, a record quoted in The Christian Library: A Reprint of Popular Religious Works (Richard Watson, Thomas Taylor, Thomas Raffles, etc; 1836)
text: He had preached twice on the Lord's day, he preached also on Monday, and had appointed to do the same on Tuesday, but died that morning.
ref: 1833, The Miscellaneous Works of the Rev. Matthew Henry:
text: On the following morning Lord Ballindine[,] as he had appointed to do, drove over to Dunmore, to settle with Martin about the money, and, if necessary, to go with him to the attorney's office in Tuam.
ref: 1848, Anthony Trollope, The Kellys and the O'Kellys, →ISBN, page 251:
glosses: To resolve; to determine; to ordain.
Synonyms: word: accredit
word: allot
word: assign
word: choose
word: command
word: decide
word: decree
word: delegate
word: designate
word: direct
word: elect
word: enjoin
word: employ
word: equip
word: furnish
word: install
word: nominate
word: ordain
word: settle
word: tap
Hypernyms: word: affix
word: determine
word: establish
word: fix
word: name
word: select
word: set
Hyponyms: word: commission
word: hire
Derived terms: appointable
appointee
appointer
appointive
appointment
appointor
foreappoint
preappoint
reappoint
self-appoint
unappoint
well-appointed
Related terms: point