Ostensible Definition
ŏ-stĕnsə-bəl
adjective
Represented or appearing as such; ostensive.
His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity.
American Heritage
Apparent; seeming; professed.
Webster's New World
Clearly evident.
Webster's New World
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.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
Origin of Ostensible
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From French, from Latin ostensus, the past participle of ostendō (“show"), itself from obs- (“in front of") (akin to ob- (“in the way") and to Ancient Greek ἐπί (epi, “on, at, besides, after") and Old English eofot (“crime")) + tendō (“stretch") (akin to Ancient Greek τείνω (teinō)).
From Wiktionary
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French from Medieval Latin ostēnsibilis from Latin ostēnsus past participle of ostendere to show ob- ob- tendere to stretch ten- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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