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appear

 - 4 dictionary results

ap⋅pear

  [uh-peer]
Use appear in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to come into sight; become visible: A man suddenly appeared in the doorway.
2. to have the appearance of being; seem; look: to appear wise.
3. to be obvious or easily perceived; be clear or made clear by evidence: It appears to me that you are right.
4. to come or be placed before the public; be published: Her biography appeared last year.
5. to perform publicly, as in a play, dance, etc.: He appeared as the king in the play.
6. to attend or be present, esp. to arrive late or stay but a short time: He appeared at the party but left quickly.
7. to come into being; be created, invented, or developed: Speech appears in the child's first or second year.
8. Law. to come formally, esp. as a party or counsel, to a proceeding before a tribunal, authority, etc.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME ap(p)eren < AF, OF aper-, tonic s. of apare(i)r, apparoir < L appārēre be seen, appear, equiv. to ap- ap1 + pārēre be visible

Synonyms:
1. emerge, arise. 2. See seem.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To appear
ap·pear   (ə-pîr')   
intr.v.   ap·peared, ap·pear·ing, ap·pears

  1. To become visible: a plane appearing in the sky.

  2. To come into existence: New strains of viruses appear periodically.

  3. To seem or look to be: appeared unhappy. See Synonyms at seem.

  4. To seem likely: They will be late, as it appears.

  5. To come before the public: has appeared in two plays; appears on the nightly news.

  6. Law To present oneself formally before a court as defendant, plaintiff, or counsel.


[Middle English aperen, from Old French aparoir, aper-, from Latin appārēre : ad-, ad- + pārēre, to show.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to come into view: a ship appearing on the horizon; a star that emerged from behind a cloud; a diver issuing from the water; a peak that loomed through the mist; a job offer that materialized overnight; a shirtsleeve showing at the edge of the jacket. See Also Synonyms at seem.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

appear 
c.1250, from O.Fr. aper-, stem of apareir, from L. apparere "to appear," from ad- "to" + perere "to come forth, be visible." Appearance "look, aspect" is from c.1385.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ap·pear
Function: intransitive verb
1 : to present oneself before a person or body having authority appear before the officer who is to take the deposition —Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 37(d)>: as a : to present oneself in court as a party to a lawsuit often through the representation of an attorney; also : to participate as a party to a lawsuit in a way other than by physical presence (as by mail) b : to present oneself in court as the attorney for a party to a lawsuit <appearing for the defendant>
2 : to have an outward look appears unethical>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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