ostensible
UK[ɒˈstɛnsɪbl̩]US[ɑːˈstɛnsɪbl̩]
adj
Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.
adj
Used to describe the reason given for an action, which may not be the real reason.
Morpheme Breakdown
os
tens
ible
os
towards
tens
stretch
ible
capable of
Etymology
The word 'ostensible' originates from the Latin verb 'ostendere', meaning "to show, to present to view", which is itself a compound of 'ob-' (toward) and 'tendere' (to stretch). The literal sense is of stretching something out toward an observer for inspection. This evolved into the Medieval Latin 'ostensibilis', meaning "that can be shown". The semantic journey moved from the concrete act of physical display to the abstract notion of something being put forward as a presented reason or appearance, often with the implicit understanding that this presentation may conceal a different, underlying reality. Thus, the modern meaning retains the core idea of a stretched-out, presented front, while carrying the connotation that this front is not the full story.
Analysis
Structure: os (towards) + tens (stretch) + ible (capable of)
- os: A Latin prefix (from 'ob-'), meaning "toward, against, in the way of".
- tens: A Latin root (from 'tendere'), meaning "to stretch, to strive".
- ible: A Latin suffix (from '-ibilis'), forming adjectives meaning "capable of, worthy of".
Examples
The ostensible purpose of the meeting was to discuss the budget, though everyone knew it was about the merger.
He was the ostensible leader of the group, but the real power lay with his advisor.
Her ostensible cheerfulness hid a deep feeling of sadness.