alito

IPA/alˈiːtəʊ/
KK[əlˈito]IPA/əlˈiːtoʊ/

alito — noun

1. Samuel Anthony Alito Jr., born 1950, an American judge who has served as an Asso

1.nounC2
Definition

Samuel Anthony Alito Jr., born 1950, an American judge who has served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court since 2006, when President George W. Bush appointed him to replace Sandra Day O'Connor.

Example

Justice Alito wrote the majority opinion in the 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

title + surname: Justice Alito

President Bush nominated Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court in late 2005.

full name in nomination context

Common collocations
  • Justice Alito
  • Alito's opinion
  • Alito's dissent
  • nominated Alito

Grammar Patterns

used as a surname

Usage Note

Always capitalised as a surname. In formal news writing, first reference is usually 'Justice Samuel Alito' or 'Samuel A. Alito Jr.'; later mentions shorten to 'Alito' or 'Justice Alito'.

Common Mistakes

the alito ruling was controversial.
The Alito ruling was controversial.
surnames must be capitalised, even in lowercase contexts.

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Justice Alito
  • Alito opinion
  • Alito dissent

Phrases

  • Justice Samuel Alito
  • Associate Justice Alito

Etymology

ItalianAmerican English

Italian surname, originally from the given name Alito, related to a regional form of names containing the element meaning 'noble' or derived from a place name in southern Italy. Brought to the United States by Italian immigrant families in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.