ostensible

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Stated or appearing to be the reason or purpose, though the real one may be different.

   The ostensible reason for the meeting was to plan the party, but really he wanted to discuss the budget.

Borrowed from French ostensible, formed with the suffix -ible, from Latin ostensus, the past participle of ostendō (“show”), itself from obs- (“in front of”) (akin to ob- (“in the way”)) + tendō (“stretch”) (akin to Ancient Greek τείνω (teínō)). Cf. also Medieval Latin ostensibilis.

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