Origin: Latin suffix -al
Nominal has 9 different meanings across 2 categories:
a phrase that can function as the subject or object of a verb
"The nominal clause acted as the direct object in the sentence."
A noun or word group that functions as part of a noun phrase.
"In the grammatical analysis, the teacher identified "blue sky" as the nominal within the larger noun phrase."
"The house had a nominal fee for entry into the community garden."
relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name
"the Russian system of nominal brevity"
"a nominal lists of priests"
"taxable males as revealed by the nominal rolls"
pertaining to a noun or to a word group that functions as a noun
"nominal phrase"
"noun phrase"
of, relating to, or characteristic of an amount that is not adjusted for inflation
"the nominal GDP"
"nominal interest rates"
Of, resembling, relating to, or consisting of a name or names.
"The organization operates under a nominal president who holds no actual power."
In plain English: Nominal means something is named after someone but doesn't actually have any real power or value.
"The nominal cost of joining the club was just five dollars."
Usage: Use nominal when referring to something designated by a title rather than its actual value, such as the nominal price on an invoice versus what is actually paid. Avoid confusing this with "nominal" in mathematical contexts where it describes variables or expressions involving nouns; instead, use specific grammatical terms like "noun phrase."
The word "nominal" traveled into English from Middle English, where it was adopted as a borrowing from Latin. Originally meaning "of names," the term is ultimately derived from an ancient root related to naming.