Appear
/əˈpɪr/noun
To become visible or come into view; to seem or look like something.
Did you know?English got appear through French from Latin *appārēre*, a word built from *ad-* (“to”) + *parēre* (“to come into view”), so its oldest sense is literally about something stepping into visibility.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to produce, bring forth, or appear”
Latin
Latin
appārēre
“to come into view, show oneself, become visible”
Old French
Old French
aparoir / aparoir
“to appear, be visible”
Middle English
English
aperen
“to come into sight; to seem”
Modern English
English
appear
“to become visible or seem to be”