ostent

noun

os·​tent
äˌstent
plural -s
1
: a significant sign : portent
the night waxed wan, as though with an awed sense of such ostentThomas Hardy
2
: the act of showing or displaying : appearance, manifestation
be merry and employ your chiefest thoughts to courtship and such fair ostents of loveShakespeare
3
: excessive display : ostentation sense 1 a
the city of glorious ostent and vanityChristopher Morley

Word History

Etymology

in sense 1, from Latin ostentum, from neuter of ostentus, past participle of ostendere to show; in other senses, from Latin ostentus, noun, from ostentus, past participle of ostendere to show

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Cite this Entry

“Ostent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ostent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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