appoint
pronunciation
How to pronounce appoint in British English:
UK [əˈpɔɪnt]
How to pronounce appoint in American English:
US [əˈpɔɪnt]
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- Verb:
- create and charge with a task or function
- assign a duty, responsibility or obligation to
- furnish
Word Origin
- appoint
- appoint: [14] Appoint came from the Old French verb apointier ‘arrange’, which was based on the phrase a point, literally ‘to a point’. Hints of the original meaning can still be found in some of the verb’s early uses in English, in the sense ‘settle a matter decisively’, but its main modern meanings, ‘fix by prior arrangement’ and ‘select for a post’, had become established by the mid 15th century.=> point
- appoint (v.)
- late 14c., "to decide, resolve; to arrange the time of (a meeting, etc.)," from Anglo-French appointer, Old French apointier "make ready, arrange, settle, place" (12c.), from apointer "duly, fitly," from phrase à point "to the point," from a- "to" (see ad-) + point "point," from Latin punctum (see point (n.)). The ground sense is "to come to a point (about some matter)," therefore "agree, settle." Meaning "put (someone) in charge" is early 15c. Related: Appointed; appointing.
Example
- 1. But he has yet to appoint a government .
- 2. Companies should appoint to the board a retail shareholder representative .
- 3. Others appoint human resources leaders with experience hiring international talent .
- 4. Might mr hollande appoint an unreconstructed leftist as finance minister ?
- 5. Sometimes they appoint a loyal relative as chief executive .