Etymograph

English

interpellation

Interpellation comes from Latin interpellātiō ‘interruption (in speaking), hindrance’, from pellō ‘push, drive, hurl’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- ‘to approach’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pelh₂-1‘to approach’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpellō1‘push, drive, hurl’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterpellō2‘to interrupt by speaking, disrupt, disturb, interject’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterpellātiō3‘interruption (in speaking), hindrance’
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600interpellation3
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1975interpellation3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin interpello
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin interpellatio
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English interpellation
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1975, Lucy S. Dawidowicz: “While the petition was circulating, a Progressive deputy asked…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*pelh₂-Wiktionary, Latin interpello‘to approach’reconstructed
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpellōWiktionary, Latin interpello‘push, drive, hurl’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterpellōWiktionary, Latin interpellatio‘to interrupt by speaking, disrupt, disturb, interject’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterpellātiōWiktionary, English interpellation‘interruption (in speaking), hindrance’
  5. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600interpellationWiktionary, English interpellation
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1975interpellationWiktionary, English interpellation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1975, Lucy S. Dawidowicz: “While the petition was circulating, a Progressive deputy asked…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- ‘to approach’

polish, appel, 12 more

through Latin pellō ‘push, drive, hurl’

appeal, pulse, repeal, compulsory, compulsive, propulsion, expulsion, compel, expel, repel, propel, dispel, appellate, pelt, impel, rappel, 15 more

Today it means

noun 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.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “interpellation”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin interpello, Latin interpellatio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *pelh₂- / interpellation

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