Etymologically
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appear

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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

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