Etymology : Middle English apperen, from Old French aparoir, from Latin apparEre, from ad- + parEre to show oneself
Pronunciation : &-pir
Function : intransitive verb
Date : 13th century
1. come into view; seem. appear\ap*pear"\ , v. i. [imp. & p. p. appeared ; p. pr. & vb. n. appearing.] [oe. apperen, aperen, of. aparoir, f. apparoir, fr. l. appar re to appear + par reto come forth, to be visible; prob. from the same root as par re to produce. cf. apparent, parent, peer, v. i.].
2. to come or be in sight; to be in view; to become visible. and god said, let the dry land appear. i.
3. 2. to come before the public; as, a great writer appeared at that time.
4. to stand in presence of some authority, tribunal, or superior person, to answer a charge, plead a cause, or the like; to present one's self as a party or advocate before a court, or as a person to be tried. we must all appear before the judgment seat. -- cor. v.
5. one ruffian escaped because no prosecutor dared to appear.
6. to become visible to the apprehension of the mind; to be known as a subject of observation or comprehension, or as a thing proved; to be obvious or manifest. it doth not yet appear what we shall be. ii.
7. of their vain contest appeared no end.
8. to seem; to have a certain semblance; to look. they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. vi. 16.
9. To come or be in sight; to be in view; to become visible.
10. To come before the public; as, a great writer appeared at that time.
11. To stand in presence of some authority, tribunal, or superior person, to answer a charge, plead a cause, or the like; to present one's self as a party or advocate before a court, or as a person to be tried.
12. To become visible to the apprehension of the mind; to be known as a subject of observation or comprehension, or as a thing proved; to be obvious or manifest.
13. To seem; to have a certain semblance; to look.
14. Appearance. come into sight or view; "He suddenly appeared at the wedding"; "A new star appeared on the horizon" come into being or existence, or appear on the scene; "Then the computer came along and changed our lives"; "Homo sapiens appeared millions of years ago" be issued or published; "Did your latest book appear yet?"; "The new Woody Allen film hasn't come out yet" appear as a character on stage or appear in a play, etc.; "Gielgud appears briefly in this movie"; "She appeared in `Hamlet' on the London stage" seem to be true, probable, or apparent; "It seems that he is very gifted"; "It appears that the weather in California is very bad" present oneself formally, as before a authority; "He had to appear in court last month"; "She appeared on several charges of theft".
15. 1. vagueness If you say that something appears to be the way you describe it, you are reporting what you believe or what you have been told, though you cannot be sure it is true. There appears to be increasing support for the leadership to take a more aggressive stance The aircraft appears to have crashed near Katmandu It appears that some missiles have been moved It appears unlikely that the UN would consider making such a move The presidency is beginning to appear a political irrelevance He appeared willing to reach an agreement. = seem.
16. If someone or something appears to have a particular quality or characteristic, they give the impression of having that quality or characteristic. She did her best to appear more self-assured than she felt He is anxious to appear a gentleman Under stress these people will appear to be superficial, over-eager and manipulative. = seem.
17. When someone or something appears, they move into a position where you can see:
them. A woman appeared at the far end of the street.
18. When something new appears, it begins to exist or reaches a stage of development where its existence can be noticed. small white flowers which appear in early summer Slogans have appeared on walls around the city.
19. When something such as a book appears, it is published or becomes available for people to buy. a poem which appeared in his last collection of verse.
20. When someone appears in something such as a play, a show, or a television programme, they take part in it. Jill Bennett became John Osborne's fourth wife, and appeared in several of his plays Student leaders appeared on television to ask for calm.
21. When someone appears before a court of law or before an official committee, they go there in order to answer charges or to give information as a witness. Two other executives appeared at Worthing Magistrates' Court charged with tax fraud The American will appear before members of the disciplinary committee at Portman Square.