Ostent

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a visible display or outward show meant to attract notice or admiration
2. A showy outward appearance or demonstration, especially one put on to impress observers
3. Obsolete word for a conspicuous display, a manifest show of something to the eye

Etymology: "Ostent" is a noun meaning an outward display, and it has come down through English in more than one form. It descends from Latin "ostendere," "to exhibit, show," built from "ob-" (towards, against) and "tendere," "to stretch." The frequentative "ostentare," meaning to show off, gave English the more familiar "ostentation" and "ostentatious," while "ostent" arrived as a separate, more direct borrowing of the older Latin noun "ostentus," meaning a display or exhibition. That older Latin noun had a sharper edge than its modern descendants. Medieval French borrowed "ostente" to mean a marvellous or astonishing thing, a prodigy or portent, so the sense of the word once leaned toward wonder and omen rather than vanity. The English noun carries the display sense, and the idea of showing something outward runs through all its relatives.

Synonyms: display, show, ostentation