Interpellation
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The act of interpellating (questioning); the period in which government officials are questioned about and explain an act, a policy or a point raised during a debate. countable, uncountable
"While the petition was circulating, a Progressive deputy asked the Minister of the Interior what the Prussian government intended to do about it. The interpellation was intended to elicit a condemnation, but the minister’s pro forma reply that the government did not intend to abrogate Jewish rights was seen by the petitioners as an encouraging sign."
- 2 the action of interjecting or interposing an action or remark that interrupts wordnet
- 3 The act of interpellating: the act of identification. countable, uncountable
- 4 (parliament) a parliamentary procedure of demanding that a government official explain some act or policy wordnet
- 5 The act of interpelling: interruption. countable, uncountable
Example
More examples"While the petition was circulating, a Progressive deputy asked the Minister of the Interior what the Prussian government intended to do about it. The interpellation was intended to elicit a condemnation, but the minister’s pro forma reply that the government did not intend to abrogate Jewish rights was seen by the petitioners as an encouraging sign."
Etymology
From Middle French interpellation, from Latin interpellātiō; equivalent to interpellate + -ion or interpel + -ation.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.