approximate
/əˈpɹɑk.sə.mət/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.64 in modern English
24
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
adj
Drawn close together, but not united.
verb
To estimate.
Example Sentences
- "approximate results or values"
- "NASA’s Genesis spacecraft has on board an ion monitor to record the speed, density, temperature and approximate composition of the solar wind ions."
- "I approximated the value of pi by taking 22 divided by 7."
- "As yet, we don't know what the comparable figures will be like for the current financial year which ends in March 2022, but we can have a good stab at approximating them."
- "When you follow two separate chains of thought, Watson, you will find some point of intersection which should approximate to the truth."
- "The telescope approximates perfection."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂éd Proto-Italic *ad Proto-Italic *ad- Latin ad- Latin proximō Latin approximō Latin approximātusder. Middle English approximat English approximate From Middle English approximat(e) (“close, near (to); similar; intimate”, also used as the past participle of approximaten), from Latin approximātus, the perfect passive participle of approximō (see -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), further from ad- (“to, towards, at”) + proximō (“to come near”). The noun was derived from the adjective through substantivization, see -ate (noun-forming suffix). See also proximate. By surface analysis, ap- + proximate.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *-kʷe, approximat, approximātus, approximaten
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˈpɹɑk.sə.mət/
- British English: /əˈpɹɒk.sɪ.mət/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more approximate (comparative)
most approximate (superlative)
approx. (alternative)
approximates (plural)
approximates (present, singular)
approximating (participle, present)
approximated (participle, past)
approximated (past)