Added 8 October 2026
semblance
/ˈsɛmblən(t)s/ noun
In Latin: effigiēs Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about semblance at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
-
An outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading.
he hoped his claims would have a semblance of authenticity
- An erroneous mental representation.
- Picture consisting of a graphic image of a person or thing.
Origin
From Middle English semblaunce (“outward appearance, form; appearance without reality; condition or fact of being apparent; symbolic image; facial expression, countenance; conduct, manner; image, likeness; analogy, comparison”), from Anglo-Norman semblaunce and Old French semblance (modern French semblance), from semblant, the present participle of sembler (“to appear; to resemble, seem”), from Late Latin similāre, the present active infinitive of similō, a variant of Latin simulō (“to act or behave as if; to imitate, simulate”), from similis (“like resembling, similar to”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one; together”)) + -ō (suffix forming regular first-conjugation verbs).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)