Etymology

ostensible

os·ten·si·ble
O1S1T1E1N1S1I1B3L1E1

Today it means: Apparent, evident; meant for open display. Full definition →

French ostensible ← Latin ostensus
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromostensus
  2. French · borrowed fromostensible
  3. English todayostensible

Borrowed from French ostensible, formed with the suffix -ible, from Latin ostensus, the past participle of ostendō (“show”), itself from obs- (“in front of”) (akin to ob- (“in the way”)) + tendō (“stretch”) (akin to Ancient Greek τείνω (teínō)). Cf. ostentatious.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.