Etymologically
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nomination

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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(1494 in the OED).[4][5] Proposing someone for election is from 1601.[5] The use for a name or designation (1502) is obsolete.[5]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

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