appear

Pronunciation

• IPA: UK /əˈpɪə/, US /əˈpɪr/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English aperen, apperen,^[2][3] borrowed from Old French aparoir, from the stem aper- of apareir,^[4][2][5] from Latin appārēre (“to appear, come in sight”),^[4][2] from ad (“to”) and pārēre (“to come forth, be visible; to obey”),^[4][2] which is of uncertain origin;^[4] Merriam-Webster compares Greek peparein “to display”.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of angels, spirits and visions, to appear: about 1250 in the OED.^[6] To come into view is about 1275 in Barnhart,^[2] the late 13th century in Etymonline.^[4]

Semantic evolution

To present oneself formally before a court or authority is from 1330,^[6] and of persons, “to present oneself”, from the late 14th century.^[4] “To seem, to have a certain appearance” is from the late 14th century too.^[4][5] To come before the public, as on the stage, is from 1607,^[6] as an author from 1713,^[6] and of a book, “to be published”, from 1711.^[6] Appearance is from about 1380, in Chaucer's House of Fame.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1250 – of a vision, to appear.^[6]
• c. 1275 – to come into view.^[2]
• 1330 – to appear before a court.^[6]
• late 14th century – to seem.^[4]
• c. 1380 – appearance.^[2]
• 1607 – to perform in public.^[6]
• 1711 – of a book, to be published.^[6]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To come into view; to become visible.
2. To seem or look to be: he appears tired.
3. To come into existence or use.
4. To perform or be seen in public; of a book, to be published.
5. To present oneself formally before a court.

Word family

• reappear

Related words

• appearance
• apparent
• apparition
• disappear

Usage notes

Appear, emerge, loom and materialize all mean “to come into view”;^[7] emerge suggests coming out from behind something, loom appearing large or threatening, and materialize appearing suddenly as if from nowhere.^[7]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin