apparent

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English apparaunt, aparaunt, from Old French aparent, aparant, in turn from Latin appārēns, appārentis, present participle of appāreō. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /əˈpæɹ.ənt/ (General American) IPA(key): /əˈpæɹ.ənt/, /əˈpɛɹ.ənt/ === Adjective === apparent (comparative more apparent, superlative most apparent) Capable of being seen, or easily seen; open to view; visible to the eye; within sight or view. Clear or manifest to the understanding; plain; evident; obvious; known; palpable; indubitable. Appearing to the eye or mind (distinguished from, but not necessarily opposed to, true or real); seeming. 1785, Thomas Reid, Essays on the Intellectual Powers of Man, Essay II (“Of the Powers we have by means of our External Senses”), Chapter XIX (“Of Matter and of Space”), What George Berkeley calls visible magnitude was by astronomers called apparent magnitude. ==== Usage notes ==== The word apparent has two common uses that are almost in opposition. One means roughly “clear; clearly true”, and serves to make a statement more decisive: It was apparent that no one knew the answer. (=No one knew the answer, and it showed.) The other is roughly “seeming; to all appearances”, and serves to make a statement less decisive: The apparent source of the hubbub was a stray kitten. (=There was a stray kitten, and it seemed to be the source of the hubbub.) The same ambivalence occurs with the derived adverb apparently, which usually means “seemingly” but can also mean “clearly”, especially when it is modified by another adverb, such as quite. ==== Synonyms ==== (easy to see): visible, conspicuous, distinct, plain, obvious, clear, eyely (easy to understand): distinct, plain, obvious, clear, certain, evident, manifest, indubitable, notorious, transparent, prima facie (seeming to be the case): illusory, superficial ==== Antonyms ==== (antonym(s) of “within sight or view”): latent, hidden, invisible (antonym(s) of “clear to the understanding”): ambiguous, obscure ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === “apparent”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC. === Anagrams === trappean == French == === Etymology === Inherited from Old French aparent, aparant, borrowed from Latin appārentem. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /a.pa.ʁɑ̃/ === Adjective === apparent (feminine apparente, masculine plural apparents, feminine plural apparentes) apparent (all senses) ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “apparent”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == Latin == === Verb === apparent third-person plural present active subjunctive of apparō === Verb === appārent third-person plural present active indicative of appāreō