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Borrowed from Frenchostensible, formed with the suffix -ible, from Latinostensus, the past participle of ostendō(“show”), itself from obs-(“in front of”) (akin to ob-(“in the way”) and to Ancient Greek ἐπί(epí, “on, at, besides, after”) and Old English eofot(“crime”)) + tendō(“stretch”) (akin to Ancient Greek τείνω(teínō)). Cf. also Medieval Latin ostensibilis.
1956–1960, R.S. Peters, The Concept of Motivation, Routledge & Kegan Paul (second edition, 1960), chapter ii: “Motives and Motivation”, page 32:
Motives, of course, may be mixed; but this only means that a man aims at a variety of goals by means of the same course of action. Similarly a man may have a strong motive or a weak one, an ulterior motive or an ostensible one.
In witch-trials the conflict was officially defined as between the accused and God, or between the accused and the Catholic (later Protestant) church, as God's earthly representative. […] Behind the ostensible conflict of the witch-trial lay the usual conflicts of social class, values, and human relationships.
The ostensible reason this provision was added to a bill on international trade is to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, a grass-roots campaign that seeks to pressure Israel to change its policies toward the Palestinians.
Appearing as such; being such in appearance; professed, supposed (rather than demonstrably true or real).
The ostensible reason for his visit to New York was to see his mother, but the real reason was to get to the Yankees game the next day.
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