appearance

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the act of appearing in public view

   the rookie made a brief appearance in the first period

2. 2
   noun

   pretending that something is the case in order to make a good impression

   they try to keep up appearances

3. 3
   noun

   a mental representation

   I tried to describe their appearance to the police.

4. 4
   noun

   The act of appearing or coming into sight; the act of becoming visible to the eye.

   His sudden appearance surprised me.

5. 5
   noun

   A thing seen; a phenomenon; an apparition.

   There was a strange appearance in the sky.

6. 6
   noun

   The way something looks; personal presence

   And now am come to ſee of whom ſuch noiſe Hath walk'd about, and each limb to ſurvey, If thy appearance anſwer loud report.

7. 7
   noun

   Apparent likeness; the way which something or someone appears to others.

   Some people say I'm shallow because I care so much about my appearance.

8. 8
   noun

   That which is not substance, essence, hypostasis; the outward reality as opposed to the underlying reality

   Catholicism teaches that the Eucharist, while remaining under the physical appearance of bread and wine, becomes really and truly the body and the blood of Christ.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French apparence, from Latin apparentia, from appareo. Morphologically appear + -ance. Doublet of apparence and apparency. Displaced native Old English hīew (“the way something looks or seems”) and ætīewednes (“act of appearing or coming into view”).