ostensible (ostensibl)

[F. ostensible = Sp. ostensible = Pg. ostensivel = It. ostensibile, actual, or intended; apparent; profe ed: as, a person's ostensible reason or motive for doing something. From Antwerp he [Rubens] was called to Paris by Mary de' Medici, and painted the ostensible history of her life in the Luxemburgh. Walpole, Anecdotes of Painting, II. ii. Her ostensible work Was washing clothes, out in the open air At the eistern by Citorio. Browning, Ring and Book, I. 156. That enlargement of the oligarchy which occurred under Servius Tullius had for its ostensible motive the im posing on plebeians of obligations which up to that time H. Spencer, Prin. of Sociol., § 500. 2t. Capable of being shown; that may be shown; proper or intended to be shown. - Ostensible partner, in law, a partner whose name is made known, and who appears to the world, as such, as distinguished from a secret or dormant partner; also used in distinction from one so known who is really not such, called a nominal partner. Syn. 1. Ostensible, Colorable, Specious, Plausible. The first three of these words are drawn from that which is addre ed to the eye, plausible from that which is addre ed to the ear. Ostensible is, literally, that may be or is held out as true, real, actual, or intended, but may or may not be so: thus, a person's ostensible motive for some action is the motive that appears to the observer, and is held out to him as the real motive, which it may or may not be. Colorable suggests the po ibility of giving the color or aspect of one thing to another, especially of giving the appearance of truth or justice; it has a bad sense, but approaches a good one in the following: "All his [James I. of Scotland's] acquisitions, however fatal to the body of the nobles, had been gained by attacks upon individuals; and, being founded on circumstances peculiar to the persons who suffered, might excite murmurs and apprehensions, but afforded no colorable pretext for a general rebellion (Robertson, quoted in Crabbe, p. 218). The word is much the least often used of the four. Specious is superficially fair, just, or correct, appearing well at first view but easily proved unsound. Plausible is applied to that which pleases the ear or the superficial judgment, but will not bear severe examination. Ostensible reasons; colorable claims; specious means; plausible explanations. had been borne exclusively by patricians. Epimenides was the ostensible director, but Solon concerted with him the various improvements in jurispru dence. J. Adams , Works, IV. 477. IMG:content-1902.png:[blocks in formation] manner; as shown or pretended; profe edly. But from the official documents it is clear that their intercourse, though ostensibly amicable, was in reality hostile. Macaulay, Machi a vell i. Unwise resistance is too frequently the primary source of the mischief ostensibly arising from the opposite policy. Gladstone, Might of Right, p. 202.