apparition

American  

[ap-uh-rish-uhn] / ˌæp əˈrɪʃ ən /

noun

1. a supernatural appearance of a person or thing, especially a ghost; a specter or phantom; wraith.

   a ghostly apparition at midnight.

   Synonyms:

   shade, spirit

2. anything that appears, especially something remarkable or startling.

   the surprising apparition of cowboys in New York City.

3. an act of appearing; manifestation.

4. Astronomy. the appearance or time when a comet, especially a periodic one, is visible.

   the 1986 apparition of Halley's comet.

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apparition British  

/ ˌæpəˈrɪʃən /

noun

1. an appearance, esp of a ghost or ghostlike figure

2. the figure so appearing; phantom; spectre

3. the act of appearing or being visible

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Related Words

Apparition, phantasm, phantom are terms for a supernatural appearance. An apparition of a person or thing is an immaterial appearance that seems real, and is generally sudden or startling in its manifestation: an apparition of a headless horseman. Both phantom and phantasm denote an illusory appearance, as in a dream; the former may be pleasant, while the latter is usually frightening: a phantom of loveliness; a monstrous phantasm.

Other Word Forms

• apparitional
  adjective
• nonapparitional
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of apparition

1400–50; late Middle English apparicio ( u ) n < Anglo-French, Old French < Late Latin appāritiōn- (stem of appāritiō, as calque of Greek epipháneia epiphany ), equivalent to Latin appārit ( us ) (past participle of appārēre; see appear) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If you see something you think might be a ghost, you can call it an apparition to hedge your bets. Apparition doesn't commit you in the same way the word ghost does—and saying that you've seen one won't cause you to be committed. Deriving from the Latin apparere "appear," apparition was first used in 1520 in a religious context, referring to the moment when the three wise men appear before the infant Jesus in the Bible. Later, apparition came to include the appearance of ghosts, or ghostly figures. It can also mean a memory so vivid it's like seeing a ghost.

Example Sentences

With its bare-brick décor and unadorned shelves, Apparition Books feels like a direct refutation of some of the more expensive boutiques that have opened in chic Seattle neighborhoods.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2023

In Barse Miller’s 1932 painting Apparition Over Los Angeles, she’s floating in the sky over Angelus Temple, accompanied by clouds shaped like moneybags.

From Slate • Jun. 28, 2020

At 17, she joined the congregation of St. Joseph of the Apparition and took the religious name Sister Marie Alphonsine.

From Washington Post • May 17, 2015

A couple of soft high notes gave Maltman trouble, and Crowe's habit of dropping consonants got in the way on Debussy's Apparition, which has a text by Mallarmé that ideally we need to hear.

From The Guardian • Jan. 6, 2013

The night reached such a depth of velvety blackness that he might have been suspended in limbo between Disapparition and Apparition.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling