interpellate

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   formal: to interrupt or address someone with a question or challenge

   She waited for a pause before she chose to interpellate the lecturer.

2. 2
   verb

   politics: to question a minister or official formally about government policy or conduct

   Opposition members moved to interpellate the minister about the missing funds.

3. 3
   verb

   social theory: to address or position a person as a particular kind of subject

   The slogan attempts to interpellate each listener as a loyal citizen.

From Latin interpellare, 'to interrupt, disturb, or address,' combining inter-, 'between,' with pellere, 'to drive or strike.' Parliamentary use developed for formally questioning an official; twentieth-century theory extended the word to the social act of hailing someone into an identity.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images