English → Latin
“appearance” in Latin
adventusarrival, coming, approach, advent; Adventpraesēnspresent, immediate, at hand, existing; prompt; propitiousvadimōniuma promise secured by bail; an appointmentvideōto see, perceive; look (at); to observe, note; to understand, perceive, comprehendspeciēsseeing, view, look; spectacle, sight; external appearance, looks; general outline or shapesimulācrumimage, likeness, statue, effigy, portrait; specter, ghost, phantom; mimicry, imitationostendōto expose to view, exhibit, show; to reveal, expose, make known; to explain, clarifyprōdigiumomen, portent, prophetic sign; prodigy, wonderportendōto indicate, point out; to predict, foretell, portend
The English word appearance itself goes back to Latin pāreō, through apparentia.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
appearance
adventus (approach): praesentia (presence): vadimonium (appearance of a surety in court): “on the appearance of the enemy all fled,” hoste appropinquante omnes terga vertorunt.
That which appears, res objecta (what is presented to the eyes, Cic., Acad., 2, 12, 38): “visum” (what is seen, a sight, a vision): “species” (a form one believes one’s self to have seen, whether when awake or in a dream): “simulacrum” (an image of the fancy, which, bearing a resemblance to some particular object, is supposed to be seen by a waking person. But spectrum = εἲδωλον in the sense of the Stoics): ostentum: prodigium: portentum (prodigy, portent). A sudden appearance, repentinus objectus. An alarming appearance, objecta res terribilis. An unusual appearance, species nova atque insolita: also facies insolita (Sall., Jugurtha, 49, 4). An appearance in the heavens, phaenomenon. Sometimes quae fiunt may do (e.g., quae mari caelove fiunt). To make one’s appearance on the stage, in scenam prodire.
Pcrsonal appearance, habitus corporis.
Appearance, opposed to reality, “species”: to put on the appearance of anything, speciem alicujus rei praebere; simulare aliquid (to put on an appearance hypocritically: also simulare with, quasi and subjunctive, or accusative and infinitive): speciem alicujus rei induere: to have the appearance of anything, speciem alicujus rei habere (of things); speciem alicujus rei prae se ferre: similitudinem quandam gerere speciemque alicujus (of persons). In appearance, specie: in speciem (opposed to reapse); verbo: verbo et simulatione (opposed to revera, re ipsa). Sometimes simulate: ficte et simulate. He only put on the appearance ofmadness, simulavit se furere; simulavit furentem. He pretended to defend him to save appearances, speciem defensionis praebuit. First appearances are deceitful, prima frons decipit (Phaedrus, 4, 1, 4). To judge by first appearances, dijudicare aliquid ex prima fronte.
Under the appearance (= pretext, pretence), specie, per speciem: nomine (under color of): simulatione: per simulationem (under cloak of: sub praetextu or obtentu not classical). (The words are found in this connection and order), simulatione et nomine: fronte or in frontem (opposed to pectore). In all appearance, haud dubie. But mostly by circumlocution with verisimilis or videri. In all appearance (or, to all appearances), he will not come, vcrisimillimum est, eum non venturum; or, non venturus videtur; or, vereor ut venturus sit. To all appearances, a war is at hand, bellum imminere or exarsurum esse videtur.
To observe the appearances of the sky, de caelo servare (of augurs).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for appearance?
- The usual Latin words for “appearance” are adventus, praesēns, vadimōnium; also videō, speciēs, simulācrum. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.