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Webster 1913 Edition

Appearance

Ap-pear′ance

,
Noun.
[F.
apparence
, L.
apparentia
, fr.
apparere
. See
Appear
.]
1.
The act of appearing or coming into sight; the act of becoming visible to the eye;
as, his sudden
appearance
surprised me
.
2.
A thing seed; a phenomenon; a phase; an apparition;
as, an
appearance
in the sky
.
3.
Personal presence; exhibition of the person; look; aspect; mien.
And now am come to see . . .
It thy
appearance
answer loud report.
Milton.
4.
Semblance, or apparent likeness; external show.
pl.
Outward signs, or circumstances, fitted to make a particular impression or to determine the judgment as to the character of a person or a thing, an act or a state;
as,
appearances
are against him
.
There was upon the tabernacle, as it were, the
appearance
of fire.
Num. ix. 15.
For man looketh on the outward
appearance
.
1 Sam. xvi. 7.
Judge not according to the
appearance
.
John. vii. 24.
5.
The act of appearing in a particular place, or in society, a company, or any proceedings; a coming before the public in a particular character;
as, a person makes his
appearance
as an historian, an artist, or an orator
.
Will he now retire,
After
appearance
, and again prolong
Our expectation?
Milton.
6.
Probability; likelihood.
[Obs.]
There is that which hath no
appearance
.
Bacon.
7.
(Law)
The coming into court of either of the parties; the being present in court; the coming into court of a party summoned in an action, either by himself or by his attorney, expressed by a formal entry by the proper officer to that effect; the act or proceeding by which a party proceeded against places himself before the court, and submits to its jurisdiction.
Burrill.
Bouvier.
Daniell.
To put in an appearance
,
to be present; to appear in person.
–
To save appearances
,
to preserve a fair outward show.
Syn. – Coming; arrival; presence; semblance; pretense; air; look; manner; mien; figure; aspect.

Webster 1828 Edition

Appearance

APPE'ARANCE

,
Noun.
1.
The act of coming into sight; the act of becoming visible to the eye; as, his sudden appearance surprised me.
2.
The thing seen; a phenomenon; as an appearance in the sky.
3.
Semblance; apparent likeness.
There was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire. Num. 9.
4.
External show; semblance assumed, in opposition to reality or substance; as, we are often deceived by appearances; he has the appearance of virtue.
For man looketh on the outward appearance. 1Sam. 16.
5.
Personal presence; exhibition of the person; as, he made his first appearance at court or on the stage.
6.
Exhibition of the character; introduction of a person to the public in a particular character, as a person makes his appearance in the world, as a historian, an artist, or an orator.
7.
Probability; likelihood. This sense is rather an inference from the third or fourth; as probability is inferred from external semblance or show.
8.
Presence; mien; figure; as presented by the person, dress or manners; as, the lady made a noble appearance.
9.
A being present in court; a defendant's filing common or special bail to a process.
10.
An apparition.

Definition 2024

appearance

appearance

English

Alternative forms

Noun

appearance ‎(plural appearances)

  1. The act of appearing or coming into sight; the act of becoming visible to the eye.
    His sudden appearance surprised me.‎
  2. A thing seen; a phenomenon; an apparition.
    There was a strange appearance in the sky.‎
  3. Personal presence; look; aspect; mien.
    • John Milton (1608-1674)
      And now am come to see . . . It thy appearance answer loud report.
    • 1922, Ben Travers, chapter 5, in A Cuckoo in the Nest:
      The most rapid and most seductive transition in all human nature is that which attends the palliation of a ravenous appetite. […] Can those harmless but refined fellow-diners be the selfish cads whose gluttony and personal appearance so raised your contemptuous wrath on your arrival?
  4. Apparent likeness; external show; how something appears to others.
    Some people say I'm shallow because I care so much about my appearance.‎
    • Bible, Numbers ix. 15
      There was upon the tabernacle, as it were, the appearance of fire.
    • Bible, 1 Samuel xvi. 7
      For man looketh on the outward appearance.
    • Bible, John vii. 24
      Judge not according to the appearance.
  5. (philosophy, theology) That which is not substance, essence, hypostasis; the outward reality as opposed to the underlying reality
    Catholicism teaches that the Eucharist, while remaining under the physical appearance of bread and wine, becomes really and truly the body and the blood of Christ.‎
  6. The act of appearing in a particular place, or in society, a company, or any proceedings; a coming before the public in a particular character.
    A person makes his appearance as an historian, an artist, or an orator.‎
    David Beckham's first appearance with the LA Galaxy at Giants Stadium against the New York Red Bulls last night drew a crowd of 66237.‎
    • John Milton (1608-1674)
      Will he now retire, After appearance, and again prolong Our expectation?
  7. (law) The coming into court of either of the parties; the being present in court; the coming into court of a party summoned in an action, either by himself or by his attorney, expressed by a formal entry by the proper officer to that effect; the act or proceeding by which a party proceeded against places himself before the court, and submits to its jurisdiction.
  8. (medicine) Chiefly used by nurses: the act of defecation by a patient.
    The patient had a small bowel obstruction and there was no appearance until after the obstruction resolved.‎

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

  • appearance in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: simple · fresh · noble · #712: appearance · period · William · remain

Etymology

From French apparence, from Latin apparentia, from appareo. Displaced native Middle English wlite ‎(“appearance”).

Pronunciation

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