Ostensibly
/ɒˈstɛn.sɪb.li/noun
Apparently or seemingly, rather than necessarily in reality.
Did you know?Its deepest ancestor is Latin *ostendere*, “to stretch out, display, show,” from *ob-* (“toward”) + *tendere* (“to stretch”); the “seeming” sense only emerged much later through the idea of what is outwardly displayed.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ten-
“to stretch”
Latin
Latin
obstendere / ostendere
“to stretch out before, display, show”
Late Latin
Latin
ostensivus
“serving to show or point out”
Old French
Old French
ostensif
“showing, manifest”
Middle English
English
ostensibly
“in a way that is shown or presented”
Modern English
English
ostensibly
“apparently; to all outward appearance”