Meaning

noun a phrase that can function as the subject or object of a verb

adjective relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name

adjective insignificantly small; a matter of form only (`tokenish' is informal)

originPIE word *h₁nómn̥ Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁nómn̥ Proto-Italic *nōmn̥ Latin nōmen Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-der.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin nōminālisder. Middle English nominalle English nominal From the Middle English nominalle (“of nouns”), borrowed from Latin nōminālis (“of names”), ultimately from oblique stem of Latin nōmen, nōminis (“name”) + -al.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0