different between false vs ostensible

English

Etymology

From Middle English false, fals, from Old English fals (“false; counterfeit; fraudulent; wrong; mistaken”), from Latin falsus (“counterfeit, false; falsehood”), perfect passive participle of fall? (“deceive”). Reinforced in Middle English by Anglo-Norman and Old French fals, faus. Compare Scots fals, false, Saterland Frisian falsk, German falsch, Dutch vals, Swedish and Danish falsk; all from Latin falsus. Displaced native Middle English les, lese, from Old English l?as (“false”); See lease, leasing. Doublet of faux.

Pronunciation

• (UK, General New Zealand, General Australian) IPA^(key): /f??ls/, /f?ls/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /f?ls/, /f?ls/

Adjective

false (comparative falser, superlative falsest)

1. Untrue, not factual, factually incorrect.
2. Based on factually incorrect premises.

3. Spurious, artificial.
4. (logic) Of a state in Boolean logic that indicates a negative result.
5. Uttering falsehood; dishonest or deceitful.

6. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous.
7. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous.
8. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental.
9. Used in the vernacular name of a species (or group of species) together with the name of another species to which it is similar in appearance.

10. (music) Out of tune.

Synonyms

• lease
• See also Thesaurus:false

Antonyms

• (untrue): real, true

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

false (comparative more false, superlative most false)

1. in a dishonest and disloyal way; falsely.

Noun

false (plural falses)

1. One of two options on a true-or-false test.

Anagrams

• A.S.L.E.F., Leafs, alefs, fasel, feals, fleas, leafs, lefsa

Italian

Adjective

false f pl

1. feminine plural of falso

Latin

Noun

false

1. vocative singular of falsus

References

• false in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• false in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• false in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

Spanish

Verb

false

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of falsar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of falsar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of falsar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of falsar.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French ostensible, formed, with the suffix -ible, from Latin ostensus, the past participle of ostend? (“show”), itself from obs- (“in front of”) (akin to ob- (“in the way”) and to Ancient Greek ??? (epí, “on, at, besides, after”) and Old English eofot (“crime”)) + tend? (“stretch”) (akin to Ancient Greek ????? (teín?)). Cf. also Medieval Latin ostensibilis.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??st?ns.?.b?l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??st?ns.?.b?l/
• Hyphenation: os?ten?si?ble

Adjective

ostensible (comparative more ostensible, superlative most ostensible)

1. Apparent, evident; meant for open display.
   • 1956–1960, R.S. Peters, The Concept of Motivation, Routledge & Kegan Paul (second edition, 1960), chapter ii: “Motives and Motivation”, page 32:

     Motives, of course, may be mixed; but this only means that a man aims at a variety of goals by means of the same course of action. Similarly a man may have a strong motive or a weak one, an ulterior motive or an ostensible one.

   • In witch-trials the conflict was officially defined as between the accused and God, or between the accused and the Catholic (later Protestant) church, as God's earthly representative. [...]
     Behind the ostensible conflict of the witch-trial lay the usual conflicts of social class, values, and human relationships.

   • 2016 January 26, "When ‘Made In Israel’ Is a Human Rights Abuse," The New York Times (retrieved 26 January 2016):

     The ostensible reason this provision was added to a bill on international trade is to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a grass-roots campaign that seeks to pressure Israel to change its policies toward the Palestinians.

2. Appearing as such; being such in appearance; professed, supposed (rather than demonstrably true or real).

   The ostensible reason for his visit to New York was to see his mother, but the real reason was to get to the Yankees game the next day.

Antonyms

• (meant for open display): ulterior

Derived terms

• ostensibility
• ostensibly

Related terms

• ostensive
• ostentatious
• ostentation

Translations

References

• ostensible at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• bilestones

French

Etymology

Formed, with the suffix -ible, from Latin ostensus, past participle of ostend? (“I show”), itself from obs- in front of (akin to ob- in the way; akin to Greek epi 'on, at, besides, after' and Old English eofot crime) + tend? (“I stretch”) (Greek teinein); or borrowed from Medieval Latin ostensibilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?s.t??.sibl/

Adjective

ostensible (plural ostensibles)

1. apparent

Derived terms

• ostensiblement

Related terms

• ostentateur
• ostentatoire

Further reading

• “ostensible” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ostensibilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /osten?sible/, [os.t??n?si.??le]

Adjective

ostensible (plural ostensibles)

1. ostensible, apparent

Derived terms

• ostensiblemente

Related terms

• ostentar