English

Etymology
From F. term|apparent||langfr, in turn from L. term|apparens||langla/term|apparentis|-entis|langla, present participle of term|appareo||langla.

Pronunciation
IPA: WEAE //
audio|en-us-apparent.ogg|Audio (US)

Adjective
en-adj

1. Capable of being seen, or easily seen; open to view; visible to the eye; within sight or view.

#* 1667, w:John Milton|John Milton, w:Paradise Lost|Paradise Lost, s:Paradise Lost/Book IV|Book IV,
#*: [�] Hesperus, that led / The starry host, rode brightest, till the moon, / Rising in clouded majesty, at length / Apparent queen unveiled her peerless light, / And o�er the dark her silver mantle threw.

1. Clear or manifest to the understanding; plain; evident; obvious; known; palpable; indubitable.

#* circa|1595�6 w:William Shakespeare|Shakespeare, w:King John|The Life and Death of King John, ''s:The Life and Death of King John#SCENE 2.The same. A Room of State in the Palace.|Act IV, Scene 2,
#*: <span style="font-variant:small-caps">Salisbury</span>: It is apparent foul-play; and �tis shame / That greatness should so grossly offer it: / So thrive it in your game! and so, farewell.

1. Appearing to the eye or mind (distinguished from, but not necessarily opposed to, true or real); seeming.

#* 1785, w:Thomas Reid|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 w:George Berkeley|Berkeley calls visible magnitude was by astronomers called apparent magnitude.
#* 1848, w:Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay|Thomas Babington Macaulay, w:The History of England from the Accession of James the Second|The History of England from the Accession of James the Second,
#*: To live on terms of civility, and even of apparent friendship.

Usage notes
<p>The word term||apparent has two common uses that are almost in opposition. One means roughly �clear; clearly true�, and serves to make a statement more decisive:</p> <dl><dd>It was apparent that no one knew the answer. (No one knew the answer, and it showed.)</dd></dl> <p>The other is roughly �seeming; to all appearances�, and serves to make a statement less decisive:</p> <dl><dd>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.)</dd></dl> <p>The same ambivalence occurs with the derived adverb term|apparently, which usually means �seemingly� but can also mean �clearly�, especially when it is modified by another adverb, such as term|quite.</p>

Synonyms
visible; distinct; plain; obvious; clear; certain; evident; manifest; indubitable; notorious.

Translations
trans-top|Visible
Finnish: t|fi|näkyvä, t|fi|silminnähtävä
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|Clear
Finnish: t|fi|ilmeinen, t|fi|selvä
trans-mid
trans-bottom

trans-top|Seeming
Finnish: t|fi|näennäinen
trans-mid
trans-bottom

checktrans-top
ttbc|German: offenbar, offensichtlich
trans-mid
ttbc|Italian: evidente
ttbc|Swedish: synbar (1, 3), uppenbar (2)
trans-bottom

Derived terms
apparency
apparent horizon
apparent time
apparently
apparentness
heir apparent <!-- law One whose claim to an estate is indefeasible if he survives the ancestor; � in distinction from presumptive heir. -->

Related terms
apparition
appear
appearance

References
R:Webster 1913

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• 2008-01-01 18:05 - Hyark - checktrans fi

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