appealed

Appealed is the past tense and past participle of the verb appeal. It is used to describe the act of making a formal request for a decision to be reviewed, as well as the related sense of attracting interest or support. In everyday use, it can indicate that something has been presented for consideration or that a request has been made.

In legal and administrative contexts, appealed refers to seeking a higher authority to reconsider a ruling or decision. For example, a defendant may appeal a conviction, or a party may appeal a regulatory ruling. The process typically involves filing documents with an appellate court or higher supervisory body, and it may suspend or delay the original decision depending on jurisdiction and procedure.

In general usage, appeal can mean to attract or be of interest to someone. In this sense, the phrase appealed to is common, as in “the proposal appealed to voters” or “the cause appealed to donors.” Here, appealed is a past-tense form describing how the subject interacted with or affected others.

Etymology traces appeal to Old French apel and Latin appellare, meaning “to call upon” or “to address,” with the sense evolving to include requests for review and for attracting attention. The spelling and pronunciation align with English verb forms, with -ed marking past tense.

Related terms include appeal (the noun and the base verb) and appealing (the gerund/participle form meaning attractive). See also related legal terms such as appellate, appeal process, and grounds for appeal.