Forms: 3–6 apere, 4–5 apeer(e, 6–7 apear(e; 5 appeere, -iere, 5–6 apper(e, 6–7 appeare, 6 appear. [a. aper-, tonic stem (cf. pres. subj. apere,) of OFr. apar-eir, -oir:—L. adp-, appārē-re to appear, f. ad to + pārē-re to come in sight, come forth. Subseq. with prefix Latinized, appere (see AP- pref.1), and in the reformed spelling of 16th c. appear (which then rhymed with bear, pear, but now with beer, peer). An aphetic ’pear occurs in 17th-c. poetry, and is now dialectal.]
1. To come forth into view, as from a place or state of concealment, or from a distance; to become visible.
1375. Barbour, Bruce, I. 93. Quhat perell lo ȝow mycht apper.
1382. Wyclif, Gen. i. 9. Gadrid be watris … in to o place, and apere the drie.
1473. Warkw., Chron., 5. There apperyde a blasynge sterre in the weste.
1596. Spenser, F. Q., V. iii. 7. So soone as morrow light Appear’d in heaven.
1642. H. More, Song of Soul, I. II. ii. They ’pear and then are hid.
1667. Marvell, Corr., 71, Wks. 1872–5, II. 212. The Dutch begin to appear again near Gravesend.
1712. Pope, Messiah, 30. Prepare the way! a God, a God appears.
1855. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., III. 678. The fleet … on the twenty-first appeared before the harbour.
2. esp. of angels, disembodied spirits, and visions.
c. 1250. Kent. Serm., in O. E. Misc., 27. Aperede an ongel of heuene in here slepe.
1340. Hampole, Pr. Consc., 2280. God wil þus Suffer þe devel apere til us.
1382. Wyclif, Matt. xxvii. 53. And many bodies of seintes … apeeriden to manye.
1714. Byrom, Spect., No. 587, ¶ 3. A Shape, like that in which we paint our Angels, appeared before me.
1862. Trench, Miracles, xxxiii. 455. Men do not see them [angels], but they appear to men.
3. To be in sight, be visible.
c. 1360. Deo Gratias, in E. E. P. (1862), 129. Nou appeereþ non of þo.
1366. Maundev., xvii. 180. This Sterre … that wee clepen the Lode Sterre, ne apperethe not to hem.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, V. 1642. To all the prouyns þe toures apperit.
1535. Coverdale, 2 Esdr. xi. 13. The place therof appeared no more.
a. 1631. Donne, Poems (1650), 2. My face in thine eye, thine in mine appeares.
1734. trans. Rollin’s Anc. Hist. (1827), II. II. § 2. 1. Nothing appeared to the eye but a few pitiful cottages.
4. To present oneself formally before an authority or tribunal; to put in an appearance. Hence, to present oneself as legal representative of another; to act as counsel.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron., 255. With right he leses his chance þorgh faut þat not apers.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., IX. Prol. 45. At a court I mon appeir, Fell accusationis þare til here.
1589. Marprel. Protest. (title-page), By open disputation to apear in the defence of his cause.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 427, ¶ 2. Many … are known to have Ill-will to him for whom I [Cicero] appear.
1809. Tomlins, Law Dict., H vij/1. Attornies subscribing warrants to appear, are liable to attachment, upon non-appearance.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., II. 97. The Bishop of London was cited before the new tribunal. He appeared.
1883. Times, 21 Aug., 10/1. Mr. C. O. Humphreys, solicitor, appeared for the prosecution.
5. To come before the public in any character or capacity; to display oneself on the stage of action or acting.
1607. Shaks., Coriol., IV. iii. 35. Your noble Tullus Auffidius will appeare well in these Warres.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 1, ¶ 5. I appear on Sunday nights at St. James’s Coffee House.
1883. Athenæum, 15 Sept., 348/1. The Vokes family will appear on the 24th inst. at the Prince of Wales’s Theatre, Liverpool.
6. To come before the public in the character of an author by his works.
1713. Guardian, No. 10. And so am forced … to appear in print.
c. 1735. Pope, Epil. Sat., I. i. Not twice a twelvemonth you appear in print.
1881. Green, Short Hist., vii. 419. Fifty dramatic poets … appeared in the fifty years which precede the closing of the theatres by the Puritans.
7. To come before the public as a book or other publication does; to be published, come out.
1711. Addison, Spect., No. 10, ¶ 3. That where the Spectator appears, the other publick Prints will vanish.
1782. Cowper, Lett., 18 Nov. I little thought when I was writing the history of John Gilpin, that he would appear in print.
1877. Lytteil, Landmarks, III. i. 98. Several works on Arran … have already appeared.
8. To show itself or be plainly set forth in a document; to be shown, declared; to occur.
c. 1531. Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866), 34. As more large apperyth in for-sayde autoryte.
1605. Camden, Rem., 5. As appeereth in an antient Roman Provinciall.
1735. Pope, Hor. Ep., II. ii. 165. Mark where a bold expressive phrase appears.
1817. Jas. Mill, Brit. India, II. V. ii. 373. Enough does not appear to condemn any individual.
9. To be clear or evident to the understanding; to be plain, manifest.
c. 1400. Chaucer, Rom. Rose, 5511. Now apperith her folye.
1477. Earl Rivers (Caxton), Dictes, 12. Suche workes wol not be hidde, but at the last they wol appere.
1540. Coverdale, Fruitf. Less., ii. Wks. 1849, I. 316. Thus appeareth the power of his death.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 257. Our greatness will appear Then most conspicuous.
1710. Prideaux, Orig. Tithes, ii. 101. I am next to make appear that no such alteration is made by the change of country.
1756. Burke, Vind. Nat. Soc., Wks. I. 15. The more clearly their excellences must appear.
b. impers. It is clear or evident.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Boeth., V. iv. 162. Þat it may apere þat þe prescience is signe of þis necessite.
1428. in Heath, Grocers’ Comp. (1869), 6. As it aperith pleynely be here aconte, as followyth.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., IV. i. 236. It doth appeare, you are a worthy Iudge.
1875. Bryce, Holy Rom. Emp., xii. 186. Nor does it appear that authority was ever exercised by any Emperor in Spain.
† c. To promise, be expected, be likely in due course (to become something). See APPARENT 5.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., VIII. i. 95. That Madyn fayre That … apperyd till have bene Be the lawch of Norway Quenc. Ibid., IX. xvi. 4. Robert þe kelt … apperand þan For to be a Lord of mycht.
10. To be to the mind, or in one’s opinion; to be taken as, to seem.
1388. Wyclif, Isa. lix. 15. And the Lord siȝ, and it apperide yuel in hise iȝen.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., II. iii. 30. Where their vn-taught loue Must needs appear offence.
1651. Hobbes, Leviath., I. xxvii. 153. They choose that which appeareth best for themselves.
1833. Ht. Martineau, Brooke Farm, i. 1. Strangers do not appear struck with it.
b. impers. It seems.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., III. i. 72. Page. Hee’s the man should fight with him. Shal. It appeares so by his weapons.
1754. Hume, Hist. Eng. (1803), I. 41. Solely, as it appears, for what you believe to be for our advantage.
1812. Sir H. Davy, Chem. Philos., 5. Theophrastus did not, it appears, adopt the sublime doctrines of his master.
11. To seem, as distinguished from to be; to be in outward show, or to the superficial observer.
1559. Myrr. Mag., R. Tresilian, iv. And matters of most wrong, to haue appered most right.
1611. Bible, Matt. vi. 16. That they may appeare vnto men to fast.
1667. Milton, P. L., II. 113. His Tongue … could make the worse appear The better reason.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 445, ¶ 7. I am afraid of making them appear considerable by taking notice of them.
1860. Tyndall, Glac., II. § 1. 223. Raindrops which descend vertically appear to meet us when we move swiftly.
