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ostentation. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ostentation, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ostentation in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ostentation you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Originated 1425–75 from late Middle English ostentacioun, borrowed from Middle French ostentation, from Latin ostentātiō, ostentātiōnem, equivalent to ostentātus (past participle of ostentāre, to display or exhibit), frequentative of ostendere (“to present, display”) + -iōn.
Pronunciation
Noun
ostentation (usually uncountable, plural ostentations)
- Ambitious display; vain show; display intended to excite admiration or applause.
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. , volume I, London: Henry Colburn, , →OCLC, pages 24–25:Sir Henry had consumed his substance in ostentation and riotous hospitality—had fed many at his board, made many merry in his halls, but not a friend was in his house of mourning; the very retainers who had grown rich upon his ruin, seemed to deem the burial of their master but a signal for carousing and license.
- (obsolete) A show or spectacle.
1598–1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “Much Adoe about Nothing”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :Let her awhile be secretly kept in,
And publish it that she is dead indeed:
Maintain a mourning ostentation;
Synonyms
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Translations
display of excessive show in an attempt to impress others
- Bulgarian: показност f (pokaznost)
- Catalan: ostentació (ca) f
- Czech: okázalost f
- Dutch: aanstellerij (nl), uitsloverij (nl)
- Finnish: näytös (fi), näytelmä (fi)
- French: ostentation (fr) f
- Galician: ostentación (gl) f
- German: Zurschaustellung (de) f, Schaustellung f, Pomp (de) m, Prahlerei (de) f, Prunk (de) m, Gepränge (de) n, Ostentation f
- Greek: επίδειξη (el) f (epídeixi)
- Hindi: आडंबर (hi) (āḍambar)
- Hungarian: kérkedés (hu)
- Irish: mustar m
- Kapampangan: pamagpakit-gilas
- Ladino: fiaka f, saltanat
- Maori: hahakitanga
- Polish: ostentacja (pl) f
- Romanian: ostentație (ro) f
- Russian: показное проявле́ние (pokaznoje projavlénije), хвастовство (ru) n (xvastovstvo), выставление напоказ (vystavlenije napokaz), рисовка (ru) f (risovka) (dated), помпа (ru) f (pompa)
- Tagalog: pagpapakitang-gilas, pakitang-gilas
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Further reading
- “ostentation”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “ostentation”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
References
- “ostentation”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
- “ostentation”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- "ostentation" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.
French
Pronunciation
Noun
ostentation f (plural ostentations)
- ostentation
Further reading