nomination

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌnɒmɪˈneɪʃən/ (UK); /ˌnɑmɪˈneɪʃən/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is late Middle English nominacioun, from Middle French nomination^[2][3] or directly borrowed from Latin nōminātiō (“a naming, designation”),^[4] from nōminātus, past participle of nōmināre, to name, from nōmen, name (see name).^[4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of mentioning by name: 1425 in the OED, the early 15th century in Etymonline; now obsolete.^[5][4]

Semantic evolution

Appointing someone by name to an office is from 1454,^[5] and being proposed as a candidate is attested from the late 15th century (1494 in the OED).^[4][5] Proposing someone for election is from 1601.^[5] The use for a name or designation (1502) is obsolete.^[5]

Timeline

• 1425 – mentioning by name.^[5]
• 1454 – appointment to office.^[5]
• 1494 – being nominated.^[5]
• 1601 – proposing a candidate.^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The act of proposing someone as a candidate, or of being proposed.
2. The act of appointing someone to an office.

Word family

• nonnomination
• renomination

Related words

• nominate
• denomination
• nominee
• nominal
• name

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press