different between perceivable vs ostensible

English

Etymology

perceive +? -able

Adjective

perceivable (comparative more perceivable, superlative most perceivable)

1. Capable of being perceived; discernible.
   • 1818, Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, ch. 5,

     Every search for him was equally unsuccessful, in morning lounges or evening assemblies; neither at the Upper nor Lower Rooms, at dressed or undressed balls, was he perceivable.

   • 2003, "Man in Pakistan: I'm on list," USA Today, 1 Jan. (retrieved 2 Nov. 2008),

     The only perceivable difference between the AP and FBI photos is that the man in the FBI photo is clean-shaven and shorter-haired.

Synonyms

• perceptible, observable

Derived terms

Translations

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