Apparent
/əˈpær.ənt/noun
Clearly visible or obvious; seeming real or true.
Did you know?Apparent comes from Latin *appāreō*, meaning “to appear” or “come in sight,” and its older sense was about something that shows itself plainly—not a mystical illusion, just a thing stepping into view.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to pass through, proceed; to come forth”
Latin
Latin
appāreō
“to appear, come in sight, become visible”
Late Latin
Latin
apparentem
“appearing, visible”
Old French
Old French
aparant
“evident, manifest”
Middle English
English
apparent
“clearly visible, evident”
Modern English
English
apparent
“readily seen or understood; seeming”