mianowani

Mianowani is a Polish term derived from the verb mianować, meaning to appoint or designate. In contemporary usage, mianowani refers to people who have been appointed to a particular position or office by an authority, such as a government, a public institution, or a church. The form can describe individuals (mianowani urzędnicy, mianowani sędziowie) and the act of appointment itself (to be mianowany).

Historically, the word also carried a more specific sense in the context of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and later periods. In some eras, “mianowani” referred to those who were ennobled by royal act, i.e., granted noble status through a process of mianowanie. This created a category of nobility distinct from those born into noble families. The exact implications—whether such nobility was hereditary or limited to the individual—varied over time and by region, and the concept faded as noble status became more strictly defined or abolished in later centuries. Today the historical use is primarily of interest to scholars of Polish social and legal history.

In modern administrative language, mianowani is neutral and common, used to describe appointees across sectors, including civil service, judiciary, and public administration. The term emphasizes the formal act of designation rather than inherited rights or elections. See also mianowanie, appointment, civil service, and nobility in Polish history for related concepts.