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nominal

nominal

adjective noh-mee-NAHL Rare

Origin: From Latin nominalis, from nomen (name).

Also means

in name only

Usage Note

Nominal means 'in name only' (jefe nominal = nominal head) or, in economics, 'not adjusted for inflation' (valor nominal vs valor real). A false friend for English speakers: it does NOT mean 'very small/acceptable' as casual English 'nominal' sometimes implies.

Examples

"El presidente tenía un papel puramente nominal."

Natural Translation

The president had a purely nominal role.

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